Sometimes closing for bridge maintenance, putting ships in the way, temporarily seizing and searching ships and detaining crew or cargoes bound for or coming from Mariupol. The waters have been under joint control, meaning that each has full control. Except that in the last year or so Russia's been saying "we have full control, you're here at our sufferance."
Mariupol is the largest Ukr city on the Sea of Azov, it was the target of a military takeover by the Russian-backed separatists, and relies heavy on its port for trade. Most of the industry in the SE part of Ukr trades through Mariupol, and most imports in that area go through Mariupol. Having it be Russian-separatist held would be a severe blow to the Ukr economy and help the separatists' with their comatose economy. As it is, it's seen a drop of something like 60% in imports and exports. It's hurting. You have a cargo of fruits or vegetables and you detain it for a week, they suffer; if you're a Spanish shipper, you simply ship elsewhere, you don't have money to waste in making geopolitical points against Russia that nobody's going to notice.
Ukraine should up the ante. Ask that any ship from a NATO country or country with a navy provide armed escort for their merchant fleet or cargo because of "marauders", and then make sure there's a Ukr naval officer there on the ship to provide proof of joint jurisdiction and control. Furthermore, claim that the marauders are flying Russian flags--when that obviously can't be the case--and if Russia won't take out those phonies, perhaps others will in defending against these pirates and terrorists. And who knows where they're getting those ships, perhaps more separatists using junked and barely rehabilitated Soviet-era ships. (In other words, start branding Russia as a terrorist nation that is supporting piracy on the high seas. And quote Putin's words about how we have to resort to violence to stop such terrorism as justification for killing obviously ersatz-Russians.)
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