After Russia lost the Crimean War, the town returned to the Principality of Moldavia, which soon will become part of the Romanian Principalities. Russia gained control of Izmail again after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. With the breakup of the Russian Empire in 1918 the region was occupied by the Romanian army and between 1918 and 1940, Izmail once again became (with the rest of Bessarabia) part of the Kingdom of Romania.