The Crimean War ( 1853 -- 1856 ) , also called the Eastern War , was a war fought between Russia and France , the United Kingdom , the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Ottoman Empire on the other side . The Crimean War ( pronounced or ) ( October 1853 â `` February 1856 ) was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire , the British Empire , the Ottoman Empire , and the Kingdom of Sardinia .