Austro - Russian – Turkish War ( 1735 – 39 ) Russo – Turkish War of 1735 – 1739 , a war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire , caused by the Ottoman Empire ' s war with Persia and continuing raids by the Crimean Tatars . The war also represented Russia ' s continuing struggle for the access to the Black Sea . Russian diplomacy before the war . By the outbreak of the Russo – Turkish war , Russia had managed to secure a favorable international situation by signing treaties with Persia in 1732 – 1735 ( which was at war with Turkey in 1730 – 1736 ) and supporting the accession to the Polish throne of Augustus III in 1735 instead of the French protégé Stanislaw I Leszczynski , nominated by pro - Turkish France . Austria had been Russia ' s ally since 1726 . The course of the war in 1735 – 1738 . The casus belli were the raids of the Crimean Tatars on Cossack Hetmanate ( Ukraine ) in the end of 1735 and the Crimean khan ' s military campaign in the Caucasus . In 1736 , the Russian commander s envisioned the seizure of Azov and the Crimea . In 1735 , on the eve of the war , the Russians made peace with Persia , giving back all the territory conquered during the Russo – Persian War . On May 20 , 1736 , the Russian Dnieper Army ( 62 , 000 men ) under the command of Field Marshal Burkhard Christoph von Munnich took by storm the Turkish fortification s at Perekop and occupied Bakhchisaray on June 17 . However , lack of supplies coupled with the outbreak of an epidemic forced Münnich to retreat to Ukraine . On June 19 , the Russian Don Army ( 28 , 000 men ) under the command of General Peter Lacy with the support from the Don Flotilla under the command of Vice Admiral Peter Bredahl seized the fortress of Azov . In July 1737 , the Münnich ' s Army took by storm the Turkish fortress of Ochakov . The Lacy Army ( already 40 , 000 men strong ) marched into the Crimea the same month , inflicting a number of defeats on the Army of the Crimean Khan and capturing Karasubazar . However , Lacy and his troops had to leave the Crimea due to lack of supplies . The Crimean campaign of 1736 ended in Russian withdrawal into Ukraine , after an estimated 30 , 000 deaths , only 2 , 000 died in battle and the rest of hunger , famine and disease . In July 1737 , Austria entered the war against Ottoman Empire , but was defeated a number of times , among others in the Battle of Banja Luka on August 4 , 1737 , Battle of Grocka at 18 , 21 – 22 July 1739 , and then lost Belgrade after an Ottoman siege from July 18 to September 1739 . In August , Russia , Austria and Ottoman Empire began negotiation s in Nemirov , which would turn out to be fruitless . There were no significant military operations in 1738 . The Russian Army had to leave Ochakov and Kinburn due to the plague outbreak . The final stage of the war . In 1739 , the Russian army , commanded by Field Marshal Münnich , crossed the Dnieper , defeated the Turks at Stavuchany and occupied the fortress of Khotin ( August 19 ) and Iaşi . However , Austria was defeated by the Turks at Grocka and signed a separate treaty in Belgrade with the Ottoman Empire on August 21 . This , coupled with the imminent threat of the Swedish invasion , forced Russia to sign the Treaty of Niš with Turkey on September 29 , which ended the war .