Living in a Regime of Energy Shortages: Spotlights From Lviv During the War

Abstract

This article delves into societal functioning amid continuous deficits in access to electricity and heat. As a consequence of the Russian–Ukrainian conflict, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been sustaining damage, leading to planned and unplanned disruptions in electricity and heat supply. This scenario has created unique circumstances, akin to a natural laboratory, for analysing social action building resilience to sustain social order under energy constraints. The data presented in this article come from systematic observations conducted in Lviv from November 2022 to January 2023. The findings shed light on the social repercussions of energy constraints and modes of adaptation. Despite the preliminary nature of the analyses carried out, discussion with the results allows us to grasp the specific context of war in the processes of creating social resilience to the threat of electricity shortages.