In September 1854, Allied forces landed on the coast of the Crimean Peninsula as a part of a military offensive to attack and capture Russia's primary Black Sea naval base at Sevastopol.

[6][7] In December 1854, Tsar Nicholas I wrote to Prince Alexander Menshikov, the Russian Commander-in-chief for the Crimean War, demanding that the reinforcements being sent to Crimea be put to a useful purpose and expressing a fear that enemy landings at Eupatoria were a danger.

The Tsar feared rightfully so that additional Allied forces at Eupatoria, located 75 kilometers north of Sebastopol, could sever Crimea from Russia at the Isthmus of Perekop cutting-off the flow of communications, materials, and reinforcements.

Menshikov then acted to select a commanding officer for the attack to which his first and second choices both declined the assignment, making excuses to avoid leading an offensive that neither believed would have a successful outcome.

[2][3] In the evening of 16 February, Khrulev put his plan into action, quietly moving his forces to positions approximately 3½ kilometers from the walls of Eupatoria.

At that point, lines of riflemen and the Cossacks were moved to the front as forward posts while the remainder of the men silently began to build the epaulements for the gun batteries.

[3][7][9] As dawn approached, Khrulev mounted his horse and personally led the column on the left forward to the point of the first attack, approximately 1,300 meters from Eupatoria's walls.

During this time, Khrulev reinforced his column on the left, advanced his artillery to within 500 meters of the city walls, and began to concentrate his cannon fire on the Turkish center.

Equipped with fascines, scaling ladders, and other items, the infantry battalions advanced quickly to the ditch in a final assault all the while in a crossfire of canister shot and rifle fire from the walls of the city plus bombardment from the Allied warships in the harbor.

After numerous failed attempts to cross the ditches and ascend their ladders to the top of the walls, the Russians were forced to retreat and seek shelter back at grounds of the cemetery.

Seeing their enemy's difficulties, the Turks took advantage of the situation and sent a battalion of infantry and two squadrons of cavalry out of the city to pursue the Russians as they fell back.

Succeeding his father, Tsar Alexander II dismissed Khrulev and replaced Prince Menshikov as the Commander-in-chief of the Russian forces for the Crimean War.

Strategically, the battle of Eupatoria confirmed that Allied command of the Black Sea would ensure that the threat to the Russian flank on Crimea would remain for the duration of hostilities.