Ukraine appeals to International Maritime Organization over Russian aggression

"On December 3 this year, the Ukrainian delegation to the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) expressed a categorical protest against the Russian Federation in connection with its armed attack and capture of three Ukrainian military boats and their crew members," reads the report.

It notes that the Ukrainian side condemned numerous facts of discriminatory inspections of vessels heading for Ukrainian ports, which is a violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and bilateral Ukrainian-Russian agreements.

"Delegations from 34 IMO member countries, including Australia, Britain, Georgia, Canada, Germany, France and the United States, spoke out in support of Ukraine's position. They supported the demands of the Ukrainian side and condemned another act of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine," the embassy said.

On November 25, Russian border ships aggressive actions against Ukrainian vessels that were en route from the port of Odesa to the port of Mariupol. Russian special forces fired on and captured three Ukrainian ships and 24 sailors in the Kerch Strait.

Russian-controlled "courts" in the occupied Crimea arrested all detained Ukrainian sailors for two months. They are charged with "illegally border crossing."

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