Russian Tanker Stuck in Greece Switches Flag ‘to Avoid Sanctions’

A Russian-flagged oil tanker stuck off the Greek island of Evia since April 8 has changed its flag, BIRN has found out, most likely to avoid EU and US sanctions on Moscow. Claire Jungman, head of the US advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, UANI, told BIRN that the Lana “is now flying an Iranian flag while anchored in Greek waters”. Many Russian vessels have changed flags lately to conceal their ties to Moscow and avoid being sanctioned, Bloomberg has reported. Miltiadis Sarigiannidis, Associate Law Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, northern Greece, told BIRN: “Changing the Russian flag for an Iranian one may be a Russian manoeuver to facilitate Russians exports”.