Mariupol, Ukraine – Setting out across flat waters in the space between where the grey sea and sky meet, Ukraine’s coastguard patrol the Sea of Azov looks for unregistered vessels, contraband and, since 2014, Russian warships.
The world’s shallowest sea sits precariously between Ukraine, Russia, and annexed Crimea. With winters in the region so cold the sea freezes over during the early months of the year, the thaw that arrived this week brought with it a new struggle – the threat of a coastal invasion.
