Memorial Day for the Victims of the Crimean War Date in the current year: September 9, 2024

The Crimean War was fought between Russia and an alliance of France, the United Kingdom, the Ottoman Empire, and Sardinia from 1853 to 1856. The immediate cause of the war involved the rights of Christian minorities in the Holy Land controlled by the Ottoman Empire. The Crimean peninsula was not the only field of combat, but it was the main one.

The Siege of Sevastopol, which was the capital of Crimea at the time, was one of the largest engagements of the war. The Allies began to fire on Sevastopol on October 17, 1854. The siege lasted until September 9, 1855 and involved six major battles. Eventually Russian troops retreated. The Russian Empire lost over 100,000 people in the course of the siege (killed, wounded, and died from disease).

Memorial Day for the Victims of the Crimean War is observed mainly in the city of Sevastopol. It is marked with solemn speeches and wreath-laying ceremonies at Crimean War memorials. In many schools, teachers hold lessons dedicated to the Siege of Sevastopol.