- From fairly early on in the war, Russia's opponents (the British/French) had newer technology (rifled muskets) as well as superior skill, initiative, and numbers - At the end the British finally forced the Russians to agree to give up and accept allied conditions by amassing a huge amount of naval forces for an attack on Cronstadt - St. Petersburg (which was essentially the last Russian stronghold)
Russia lost the Crimean War for many reasons, one being their geographic hindering from their neighboring Black Sea, which caused a diminished reaction and disabled their ability to attack.
