As Russian forces attacked the Ottoman Empire, success itself increased the chance of wider intervention. France could accept Russia as a weak partner but not as an independently dominant power. Britain valued treaties that constrained Russian movement through the Straits because they kept another major fleet away from Mediterranean routes and any future war with France. A decisive Russian victory would upset that useful arrangement for both Western powers. These calculations help explain why a regional Russo-Ottoman conflict could draw in France and Britain.
Chapter · 29:52-31:56
Why Russian success alarmed France and Britain
Russian victories threatened a balance that suited France and kept another naval problem away from Britain's Mediterranean routes.