Methodology & sources
This project follows the open-source-intelligence tradition of OCCRP's asset trackers and public aircraft-tracking research: public flight data cross-referenced with public ownership records. It is built so that every claim can be checked against its source.
Confidence tiers
No ownership link is presented as a flat fact. Each carries a tier that tells you how strong the evidence is.
Direct documentary evidence: a registry entry naming a known holding company, an official asset declaration, a sanctions listing naming the aircraft, or an on-record admission.
A reputable outlet reports the ownership link, but it is not documentary-proven here.
Pattern-based inference (an aircraft repeatedly frequents a person's base; a shell-company chain suggests but does not prove control). Never presented as established fact.
Where the data comes from
- ·Ukraine State Aviation Administration civil aircraft register (avia.gov.ua)
- ·NAZK e-Register of Asset Declarations (declarations.nazk.gov.ua)
- ·Beneficial-ownership data via licensed aggregators (YouControl / Opendatabot)
- ·OCCRP Aleph, ICIJ Offshore Leaks, OpenCorporates
- ·Investigative reporting: OCCRP, Forbes Ukraine, Ukrainska Pravda, Kyiv Independent, RFE/RL Schemes
- ·ADS-B Exchange (flight positions); planespotters.net (aircraft photos)
What we deliberately exclude
We track privately-owned business jets and VIP aircraft, and we document state and government aircraft in the registry and ownership records as disclosure — showing which aircraft the state operates, and their register history. What we do not publish is the real-time position of state, government, or head-of-state aircraft: during an active war, surfacing where a government aircraft is at this moment is an operational-security and targeting risk, so their live positions are suppressed at the map and feed level even though the aircraft themselves are documented. Military aircraft are excluded entirely.
Corrections & disputes
Every ownership claim carries its source(s) and a confidence tier. If you believe a claim is wrong, contact us and we will review and, where warranted, correct or remove it.
Request a correction