On 17 January 2019 at the Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) the delegation of Ukraine expressed its protest to the Russian Federation in connection with the unauthorized expansion by the Novorossiysk NAVTEX station of its service area into the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait in spite of the fact that the specified sea areas do not belong to the service area of this radio station.

In his statement, the representative of Ukraine emphasized that only the Berdiansk NAVTEX station of Ukraine has full responsibility for broadcasting MSI into the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.

The Ukrainian side called on IMO to consider the unauthorized unilateral actions of the Russian Federation which threaten the safety of navigation in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.