The impact of the energy crisis on the food market, the energy transition, and energy poverty after the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine war: a systematic literature review

1 Introduction

The current energy crisis is not an aberration. Similar energy crises occurred in 1973, 1979, 1990, and 2008, burdening national and family budgets throughout the developed world, and with even more dramatic impacts on the underdeveloped world. An adequate energy supply is a key prerequisite for economic, cultural, and social development (Cottrell, 2009); thus, the various energy crises countries have experienced have shaken the global economy. In October 1973, the first energy crisis broke out following the Yom Kippur War between Israel and armies from Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. A meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on October 20, 1973, produced a resolution led by Libya calling on members of the oil cartel to halt exports to the United States and some European countries (Soeder, 2020). The war affected oil prices, with significant repercussions for the global economy. Inflation soared, and the impact was more severe among weaker economies. In February 1979, the second energy crisis occurred due to the Iranian revolution (Fesharaki, 2012). Then, during the 1990s, fears of a new energy crisis rose amid the Persian Gulf wars, given the vast energy resources of the region (Amirsadeghi, 2012). The 2008 energy crisis was a continuation of the US financial crisis of late 2007. Studies of these crises show that the lack of natural energy resources has prevented industries worldwide from meeting their needs. Military conflicts connected to energy crises have had a significant impact on the regional and global economy, ranging from economic, trade, and monetary devastation to the loss of production, labor capacity, resources, and livelihoods (Khudaykulova et al., 2022).

With the onset of the Russia–Ukraine war, global economic conditions changed abruptly (Hutter and Weber, 2022). In February 2022, the invasion of Ukraine caused another energy crisis that shook the world, especially Europe. The conflict triggered a domino effect on global food supplies and the pace of the energy transition, showing how energy poverty and market instability are now deeply linked. When the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out, many countries and firms imposed significant economic sanctions on the Russian government, negatively impacting the Russian economy. However, the economic sanctions also affected the European economy due to indirect effects and trade interdependence (Bluszcz and Valente, 2019). Russia supplies natural gas and crude oil to most European countries (Saktiawan et al., 2022); therefore, due to economic sanctions, energy supply decreased, and the prices of natural gas and oil increased (Borowski, 2022).

Europe's energy security, a multifaceted issue that affects the affordability and availability of energy, state revenues, and defense policies (Jonsson et al., 2015), can be seen as the outcome of the recent Russia–Ukraine war. It is also connected to the market developments, such as differences in gas pricing, tariffs, and business relationships, that have led to interruptions in Russian gas flows through Ukrainian pipelines in several recent cases, resulting in supply shortages and price volatility in much of Europe. These challenges triggered internal discussions on energy diversification even before 2022, preparing the ground for the subsequent focus on the energy transition. The war also came at a bad time for world markets, as many countries had little fiscal flexibility due to pandemic support measures. The pandemic caused drastic fluctuations in energy demand, oil price shocks, disruptions to energy supply chains, and hampered energy investments (Apostolopoulos et al., 2024) even before the war led to energy price hikes and energy security challenges (Zakeri, 2024). These challenges have created a multifaceted crisis that directly links energy markets to global food stability and social vulnerability.

Ukraine plays an important role in global food security as one of the leading exporters of wheat and sunflower oil; however, the latest FAO (2025) data show that approximately 20%−25% of the country's agricultural land has been degraded due to the war. Ukraine and Russia together account for about 40% of global grain exports, and the war between them has disrupted global markets, affecting international trade and food security and causing dramatic increases in global food prices. The COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia–Ukraine conflict have led to a major food crisis, according to the United Nations (UN, 2025). The war has disrupted agricultural production and the global food trade, increased the risk of population displacement, exacerbated migration flows, destroyed infrastructure, and ultimately affected the free movement of people and goods. Many countries that are heavily dependent on wheat imports from Ukraine, such as Egypt, Turkey, Mongolia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, have been significantly affected (Lin et al., 2023).

Another related concern, the energy transition, refers to the shift from the current energy mix, dominated by hydrocarbons and largely based on oil, natural gas, and coal, to a low-carbon energy mix dominated by renewable sources, primarily wind and solar, batteries, hydrogen, and biofuels. In reality, what is taking place is not so much an “energy transition” as an “energy addition” since the development of renewable energy sources is added to that of conventional sources, with the “energy additions” replacing and eliminating previous energy sources. This shift is best understood in light of the need for more energy, driven by both rising per capita consumption and global growth in underdeveloped and developing countries. However, current circumstances, including the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, are shifting priorities, making the energy transition much more difficult, costly, and complex than initially expected. Consequently, achieving the goal of a climate-neutral Europe with zero emissions by 2050 seems virtually impossible (Yergin et al., 2025; Apostolopoulos et al., 2023).

The Russia–Ukraine conflict has led to short-term stagnation in the implementation of the energy transition and, in several cases, partial setbacks, such as countries returning to coal and other high-emission fuels to ensure energy security and meet domestic demand. At the same time, there have been delays or even readjustments of investments in renewable energy sources in some regions of Europe due to the need to reprioritize key objectives, including those related to security. In the long term, the renewed push for energy independence has led to greater interest in renewables, hydrogen, and nuclear power, accompanied by policy changes such as REPowerEU, with the ultimate strategic goal of decoupling the EU from Russian energy and making the continent less dependent on its once-strategic supplier. With the REPowerEU program, the EU plans to stop all imports of Russian liquefied natural gas by the end of 2027, take measures to address Russia's “shadow fleet” (ships used by Russia to evade sanctions), and stop imports of Russian oil by the end of 2027, while also limiting the import of uranium, enriched uranium, and other nuclear materials originating from Russia [European Commission (EC), 2025].

The war between Russia and Ukraine has triggered an energy crisis that has directly affected household energy costs. High energy prices impose cost burdens on households in two ways. On the one hand, fuel prices directly increase household fuel bills for heating and cooling, cooking, and mobility. On the other hand, energy and fossil feedstock inputs needed for the production of goods and services for household consumption led to higher prices of household expenditure items (Esmaeili and Shokoohi, 2011). Due to the substantial increase in oil and natural gas prices, energy poverty increased across Europe, particularly in the south-eastern countries (Bouzarovski et al., 2021). Energy poverty has far-reaching socioeconomic consequences for household wellbeing (Sule et al., 2022), and people suffering energy poverty lack services such as cooking, lighting, heating, and cooling, which are vital to maintaining an acceptable standard of living (Katoch et al., 2024). Notably, the rise in oil prices led to a significant increase in food prices, compounding the already high prices caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the 2022 Russia–Ukraine war has created a catastrophic humanitarian crisis and threatened the stability of geopolitical relations, leading to mounting concerns about a sharp slowdown in global growth, rising inflation and debt, and a surge in poverty (Orhan, 2022).

Notably, the energy crisis cannot be analyzed by examining a single sector in isolation. Though recent studies have highlighted the direct impacts of war, there remains a gap in research linking these impacts to the food market, the energy transition, and energy poverty. This systematic review aims to fill this gap by highlighting the difficult balance between energy security and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It enters into a timely academic and policy debate regarding the new trends and challenges in the energy sector in turbulent times. Given the ongoing, intensive nature of field research, this literature review surveys the field and outlines a future research agenda. After this introductory section, the second section sets the theoretical background of the connection between the energy sector and the war. The third section describes the methodological approach and strategy. The fourth section presents and discusses the findings. Finally, the fifth section offers concluding remarks and future research avenues.

2 Contextual framework

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the global economy was rocked (Caldara et al., 2022), and the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war has had far-reaching impacts on the global energy market (International Energy Agency, 2022). It has also led to significant geopolitical and economic uncertainty. Most United Nations member countries strongly condemned the situation and immediately imposed numerous economic sanctions against Russia (Hossain and Masum, 2022). The sanctions had a significant impact on the Russian economy and the global economy; however, Europe is the most affected region, given its trade links to Ukraine and Russia and its dependence on energy and food supplies from these countries (Liadze et al., 2023). For example, Ukraine and Russia are key suppliers of commodities, including fertilizers, wheat, and corn (Tank and Ospanova, 2022). For this reason, disruptions to the supply chain of these commodities would keep prices high, intensifying the burden on users.

Furthermore, energy price spikes have led to increased energy poverty among low-income households living in energy-inefficient homes (Croon et al., 2023). The reduced supply of oil and natural gas from Russia has driven prices higher, leaving consumers vulnerable. The Russia–Ukraine conflict has triggered an energy crisis that directly affected household energy costs for heating, cooling, and transportation. Energy poverty negatively impacts income, education, life expectancy, employment, inequality, and health (Adom et al., 2021). For this reason, a sufficient energy supply has been characterized as a basic condition for economic, human, and environmental development. As mentioned above, Russia and Ukraine are key suppliers of fertilizer and wheat, and the war sent world wheat prices soaring. The war came at a bad time for global food markets because food prices were already high due to supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and strong global demand (Ben Hassen and El Bilali, 2022). The Russia–Ukraine war has also caused a sharp increase in inflation, which was already high due to the pandemic, leading to higher food and fuel prices and higher labor and transportation costs. These measures have influenced and continue to strongly influence consumers. However, increased energy costs provided an opportunity to invest more in renewable energy sources (Mawutor et al., 2024) and reduce reliance on Russian fossil fuels.

The impacts of the Russia–Ukraine war on energy markets, food security, and social groups (particularly in terms of energy poverty) can be understood through a nexus framework that emphasizes linkages among energy systems, the food industry, and resource flows. Energy is a critical feedstock for food systems through fertilizer production, irrigation, transport, and food processing, while the availability of natural resources affects land productivity and the food supply chain. Energy systems depend on natural resources for further processing, and challenges in energy supply and price volatility affect food markets that depend on these resources.

The war prompted us to re-examine the role of energy and its importance. The war can jeopardize efforts to implement the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 1, “no poverty,” and Sustainable Development Goal 2, “zero hunger.” The energy shock caused by the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 forced us to rethink how we define energy security. While energy security has traditionally been defined as a stable supply of oil and gas, the current geopolitical instability has highlighted that dependence on imported fossil fuels has serious consequences. For this reason, the transition to renewable energy is an important strategy for countries seeking to gain energy independence and protect their domestic markets from geopolitical crises (International Energy Agency, 2025). A coordinated energy policy is required so that the path toward sustainable development is based on fair and clean energy (Scheme 1).

3 Methodological approach

A number of studies have considered the impact of the energy crisis following the Russia–Ukraine war. The search for this literature review was limited to studies published throughout the 2022–2025 period, i.e., after the outbreak of the conflict. The research was based on a systematic review as a methodological approach (Psillaki et al., 2023) exploring both theoretical and empirically driven articles (Webster and Watson, 2002), uncovering research ideas that emerged through methodological categories, organizing literature (Armitage and Keeble-Allen, 2008), and establishing interactions between subject areas of published studies (Thorpe et al., 2005). This systematic literature review methodology, based on a sample of 323 papers, has been used to identify, select, and evaluate published research. We therefore conducted a comprehensive systematic literature review by searching selected databases for primary and secondary empirical studies (Apostolopoulos et al., 2020) examining the impact of the energy crisis on the food market, the energy transition, and energy poverty following the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine war.

The search was limited to articles published within the aforementioned time period, yielding 68 papers. The exclusion criteria applied included limiting the papers to peer-reviewed research articles; hence, conference papers and book chapters were excluded from the study. Article searches were conducted only from Scopus-indexed journals on a case-by-case basis, which excludes cross-sectional studies (Jones et al., 2011). Our initial search aimed to gather studies from primary and secondary subject areas and thus included the following keywords: “energy crisis” and “social policy,” “energy crisis” and “energy transition,” and “energy crisis” and “energy poverty.” The results were then limited to the covered period based on the topic under review—the energy crisis and the impact of the Russia–Ukraine war. We narrowed the search to primary areas and combined the keywords as follows: “energy crisis” and “food market” OR “energy crisis” and “food security” OR “energy crisis” and “energy transition” OR “energy transition” and “green energy” OR “energy crisis” and “energy poverty” OR “energy poverty” and “social policy.”

In the final stage, we manually selected studies that explicitly investigated the energy crisis after the outbreak of the aforementioned war. Finally, we used the “AND” and “OR” operators to make the search more complete. Following the process presented in Figure 1 and after screening the results for reliability in terms of their significance to the literature review (Xiao and Watson, 2019), the final count was 68 relevant studies. Figure 1 illustrates the methodology for reviewing published research on the effects of the energy crisis on food security, the energy transition, and, lastly, energy poverty. Table 1 highlights the most-cited articles ultimately included in the systematic literature review. Figure 2 illustrates the horizontal bar chart comparing the number of articles by research method. Figure 3 illustrates the horizontal bar chart showing the total number of articles per publisher

Table 1. Most-cited articles (top 10).

4 Results and discussion

4.1 Impact on the food market

Twenty studies were collected under that highlight the impact of the war on the food market (Alexander et al., 2023; Arreyndip, 2025; Bardazzi et al., 2024; Creutzig, 2022; Day et al., 2023; Devadoss and Ridley, 2024; Farghali et al., 2023; Gollakota and Shu, 2023; Guan et al., 2023; Holmberg, 2024; Hussain et al., 2023; Kornher et al., 2024; Leal Filho et al., 2023; Ozili and Ozen, 2023; Pereira et al., 2022a,b; Urak et al., 2024; Zhang et al., 2023; Zhou et al., 2023; Zhu et al., 2024).

The Russia–Ukraine conflict has triggered an energy crisis that directly affected household energy costs (Guan et al., 2023) and energy security. It has also disrupted international agricultural markets, especially for wheat, one of Ukraine's most important exports (Devadoss and Ridley, 2024). The conflict directly affected the global economy, geopolitics, and food security (Pereira et al., 2022a,b; Zhou et al., 2023), while supply chain disruptions compounded those stemming from the pandemic. Moreover, the price increases drove up food prices, with immediate consequences for access and availability (Kornher et al., 2024). The energy sector has become an integral part of human wellbeing, with a considerable impact on daily life (Gollakota and Shu, 2023). In this light, energy is one of the most crucial aspects of modern society, powering economies, transportation, and daily life (Farghali et al., 2023). The energy crisis causes varying degrees of welfare losses for households by directly increasing energy prices and indirectly raising product costs along the supply chain (Zhu et al., 2024).

Furthermore, the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine has affected human development, particularly for the most economically vulnerable people. During the COVID-19 pandemic, global energy demand decreased, and electricity production from non-fossil fuel sources also decreased. However, as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, the rising demand led to an absence of natural gas and oil in Europe. The shortage was worsened by the Russian military buildup on the border of Ukraine, which disrupted energy supply from Russia to European countries that depend on it, causing rising natural gas prices across Europe (Ozili and Ozen, 2023) and increasing the prices of raw materials, especially in the food market. The war disrupted the supply of grain, oilseeds, and fertilizers from Russia and Ukraine, risking global food insecurity (Urak et al., 2024). From the poorest countries to the wealthiest, rising food prices hurt people (Hussain et al., 2023). The main factors driving these increases are the pandemic, climate change, geopolitical unrest, and the energy crisis that began in February 2022.

More specifically, Russia and Ukraine are responsible for more than one-third of the world's cereal exports, mostly barley, wheat, and maize (Creutzig, 2022). From 2011 to 2022, Ukraine was the fifth-largest corn producer, accounting for up to 2.7% of global production, and the ninth-largest wheat producer, with a global share of 3.3% (Arreyndip, 2025). Grain comprises the majority of the world's dietary energy and nutrition needs (Pereira et al., 2022a,b). Since February 2022, the war in Ukraine has had numerous consequences, including severe stress on food security, with impacts at both national and global levels (Holmberg, 2024; Leal Filho et al., 2023). The energy crisis in the EU drove inflation to an all-time high (Bardazzi et al., 2024). In March 2023, food inflation was about 19%, compared to about 6% (Statista, 2025). Rising energy prices directly affect food prices by increasing the cost of agricultural inputs, such as fertilizers, as fertilizer production is highly energy-intensive and uses natural gas (methane) as a raw material (Alexander et al., 2023). The use of fertilizers containing nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) can boost average crop yields by 30%−50% in intensive agricultural systems, thus helping to sustain the ability of crop production to nourish the world's growing population (Day et al., 2023). The high concentration of grain and fertilizer supplies could expose many countries, especially import-dependent ones, to risk (Zhang et al., 2023).

Apart from the direct impact on food markets, energy sources such as natural gas are also required as feedstock for the production of ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen fertilizers used in agriculture. Thus, the food production and processing industries are strongly affected by developments in the energy and natural gas sectors, and any changes in their availability and affordability affect the final product, both in quantity and cost. The total production capacity for nitrogen fertilizer in the EU has now been challenged, with several facilities reducing production as a result of higher natural gas prices.

4.2 The energy transition

Twenty-three studies were collected that highlight the impact of the war on the energy transition (Babic, 2024; Basdekis et al., 2024; Beck et al., 2025; Belaïd et al., 2023; Boubaker et al., 2022; Caineng et al., 2022; Gajdzik et al., 2024; Huang et al., 2024; Kuzemko et al., 2022; Meka'a et al., 2024; Moghayedi et al., 2023; Mohamad Taghvaee et al., 2023; Nerlinger and Utz, 2022; Omokaro et al., 2025; Osička and Černoch, 2022; Piwowar and Dzikuć, 2024; Rawtani et al., 2022; Robinson, 2022; Tu et al., 2023; Umar et al., 2022; Xu et al., 2025; Zakeri, 2024; Żuk and Żuk, 2022).

Energy has been foundational in the development of modern societies and indispensable for improving quality of life (Huang et al., 2024); however, when the 2022 Russia–Ukraine war started, it sent shockwaves throughout Europe and has painfully exposed the continent's dependence on a geopolitical adversary (Kuzemko et al., 2022). The outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine conflict has exacerbated Eurozone countries' dependence on Russia for energy resources (Basdekis et al., 2024). The EU response to the war in Ukraine combined economic sanctions and cuts in energy imports from Russia, leading to energy price hikes across EU Member States (Zakeri, 2024). The energy price crisis turned into a supply crisis after the 2022 Russia–Ukraine war began, adversely impacting the energy sector (Umar et al., 2022) and leading to sanctions that caused both economic and strategic upheavals (Omokaro et al., 2025).

Notably, Russia was the world's third-largest crude oil producer and second-largest natural gas producer, supplying about 14% of global oil before sanctions were imposed (International Energy Agency, 2021). Furthermore, the EU imports about 40% of its natural gas from Russia. The war has raised concerns about the security of supply and, subsequently, the role green investments can play in achieving net-zero emissions goals by 2050 (Gajdzik et al., 2024). After the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the world is currently facing a triad of historic, catastrophic events. First, the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict has shaken the geopolitical balance, and the fear of further escalation is very high. Second, the COVID-19 pandemic claimed the lives of approximately 6.5 million people worldwide. Third, the impacts of climate change have led to unprecedented destruction of ecosystems (Boubaker et al., 2022).

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has vast implications for supply chains and the availability of fossil fuels, which are essential for energy production (Nerlinger and Utz, 2022). Regarding its effect on the energy transition, Germany serves as a useful example. The country has had to resort, in some cases, to short-term measures, such as temporarily reactivating coal-fired power plants. Germany's geopolitical shift has highlighted the need to accelerate the green transition to ensure long-term energy security (Beck et al., 2025). The continued increase in fossil fuel use has affected both human life and the environment, as climate change intensifies. For example, the continued use of fossil fuels may prevent achieving the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to no more than 1.5 °C. The main contributor to global warming is CO₂ emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels (Moghayedi et al., 2023).

Investments in clean energy play a major role in accelerating the green transition and achieving both climate and sustainable development goals (Babic, 2024; Belaïd et al., 2023; Meka'a et al., 2024). The war in Ukraine presents the EU with a massive challenge (Osička and Černoch, 2022): its dependency on Russian energy, as well as the transition to sustainability, which is crucial for the development of the modern global economy. Overconsumption of natural resources, pollution, and environmental degradation threaten the health and security of ecosystems and communities (Tu et al., 2023). Thus, sustainable development has been one of the most important goals of societies since the beginning of the 21st century (Mohamad Taghvaee et al., 2023). Sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Brundtland Report, 1987). Green energy could provide a viable solution for energy security, propelling the EU toward a sustainable future.

It is interesting, in this context, to understand whether the consequences of the 2022 Russia–Ukraine war will accelerate or delay the energy transition in Europe and other parts of the world, particularly in countries where gas and oil from Russia play an important role in the energy mix (Żuk and Żuk, 2022). The central aim of the EU's new REPowerEU framework is “to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels” [European Commission (EC), 2022], underlining how a low-carbon energy transition is a key priority for all countries in Europe, especially those with substantial fossil fuel trade links to Russia (Piwowar and Dzikuć, 2024). Consequently, the conflict has accelerated the energy transition for most countries with a high goal of climate neutrality (Caineng et al., 2022). Resolving it will be a necessary condition for addressing any remaining potential social and political tensions. The challenges and consequences of decarbonization will affect all areas of society (Xu et al., 2025); for this reason, the transition should be carried out in a way that leaves no one behind. The most important measures for decarbonizing the energy system include introducing renewable energy into the electricity sector, electrifying demand, and developing decarbonized gas, in particular green hydrogen (Robinson, 2022). Furthermore, large-scale environmental deterioration, severe ecosystem impacts, and biodiversity loss are likely consequences of the war (Rawtani et al., 2022) and will need to be analyzed in the coming years.

4.3 Energy poverty

Twenty-five studies were collected under that highlight the impact of the war on the energy poverty (Aaserud et al., 2025; Al Kez et al., 2024; Barrella et al., 2025; Baumann et al., 2025; Belaïd, 2022; Burguillo et al., 2025; Grazini, 2025; Halkos and Aslanidis, 2023; Hasheminasab et al., 2023; Jaeger-Erben et al., 2025; Jové-Llopis et al., 2025; Kashour and Jaber, 2024; Kwilinski et al., 2024; Lee and Yuan, 2024; Makridou et al., 2024; Manasi and Mukhopadhyay, 2024; Matschoss et al., 2025; Moura et al., 2024; Popescu et al., 2023; Semple et al., 2025; Sen et al., 2024; Song et al., 2023; Sy and Mokaddem, 2022; Wojewódzka-Wiewiórska et al., 2024; Yang et al., 2025).

Energy plays a crucial role in economic growth (Hasheminasab et al., 2023). The war has driven up household energy costs, increasing energy poverty and making it a central policy issue in the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 agenda (Sy and Mokaddem, 2022). Rising energy prices have put pressure on households already struggling to pay their utility bills, risking their wellbeing (Aaserud et al., 2025). Many households have reduced energy consumption due to rising cost pressures (Matschoss et al., 2025). Further, energy price inflation has increased energy poverty (Halkos and Aslanidis, 2023), a socioeconomic issue that deprives people of a basic standard of living and quality of life (Jaeger-Erben et al., 2025; Moura et al., 2024).

Energy poverty has attracted academic interest and has emerged as a critical issue on the EU policy agenda in recent years (Al Kez et al., 2024; Grazini, 2025; Song et al., 2023). (Boardman 2013) states that a household is considered poor if energy costs exceed 10% of its total income. High energy costs, low-income and energy-inefficient housing, and other factors contribute to and exacerbate energy poverty, especially war (Baumann et al., 2025; Belaïd, 2022). Multiple studies have documented that energy poverty is associated with serious physical and mental health consequences (Sen et al., 2024). Thus, identifying energy poverty and assessing its impact on human health and wellbeing is a rising social issue worldwide (Manasi and Mukhopadhyay, 2024; Wojewódzka-Wiewiórska et al., 2024). Members of households experiencing energy poverty often develop serious health problems (Jové-Llopis et al., 2025; Yang et al., 2025), such as depression, anxiety, and social exclusion.

The energy crisis that began in 2022, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic and the war, has exacerbated the vulnerability of European households (Makridou et al., 2024). According to the most recent data by Eurostat in 2024, 9.2% of EU citizens could not afford to keep their homes at a suitable temperature during the winter, compared to 10.6% in 2023 and 9.3% in 2022 (Eurostat n.d., a,b,c), and a further 6.9% of Europeans were behind on their utility bills. Thus, access to modern energy services and the mitigation of energy poverty are among the most relevant policy goals for governments today (Burguillo et al., 2025). Poverty and inequality push more people into destitution, which is more commonly referred to as social exclusion. According to studies by (Streimikiene et al. 2020) and (Semple et al. 2025), important causes leading to increased levels of energy poverty in the EU include: (i) accessibility and affordability issues; (ii) low energy efficiency housing and high energy losses; (iii) divergence between needs due to different individual factors; and (iv) lack of energy-related awareness and knowledge. This view is also highlighted by the study of (Kashour and Jaber 2024), which confirms the importance of the aforementioned factors in the increase in energy poverty.

To reduce energy poverty, the EU has established an Advisory Hub that aims to end energy poverty and accelerate the just energy transition of local communities across Europe, taking all these parameters into account. The EPAH continued the work of the previous European Energy Poverty Observatory (EPOV) by reorganizing the classification and enlarging the scope of energy poverty indicators (Barrella et al., 2025). Access to affordable, uninterrupted energy affects one's wellbeing and wealth. Energy provides thermal comfort, cooked food, hot showers, internet access, and many other crucial aspects of daily life (Popescu et al., 2023). In summary, addressing energy poverty is a priority for all countries seeking to build a more prosperous society and one of the most challenging barriers to achieving sustainable development (Lee and Yuan, 2024). Energy poverty has emerged as a critical issue for the European Union in recent years due to its profound impacts on public health, economic inequality, and energy inefficiency in housing (Kwilinski et al., 2024).

The Russia–Ukraine war has posed various challenges to societies, primarily affecting living conditions and energy security. The initially set goals of the energy transition seem to prioritize issues related to energy security; as a result, either their achievement is delayed or their prioritization changes. The EU and its Member States are seeking a balance between improving energy security, either by increasing the diversification of sources or through an optimal cost-benefit mix for societies already facing issues of energy poverty and access to basic goods. The food industry is becoming increasingly vulnerable due to rising energy costs and supply chain challenges, exposing countries that depend on imports to a greater risk of food insecurity.

5 Conclusion and future research avenues

5.1 Conclusions

This systematic literature review highlights a triple shock caused by the Russia–Ukraine war, which simultaneously disrupted global food markets, accelerated the energy transition, and exacerbated energy poverty. While the war has accelerated the transition to renewable energy sources and energy autonomy, it has also driven inflation that threatens food security and social equality. Russia's war in Ukraine has also exacerbated the economic problems stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The trade restrictions imposed on Russia and the countersanctions significantly raised inflation and negatively impacted global economic growth. In short, the Russia–Ukraine war created challenges for the energy sector but also provided an opportunity to accelerate the energy transition.

The war has affected global trade, agricultural and industrial production, and consumption patterns, keeping commodity prices high and threatening global food security. The war is causing food insecurity not only in Ukraine but also globally, due to shortages in grain production and higher prices. This situation affects consumers and, in extreme cases, can lead to malnutrition in many countries. When food insecurity exceeds a critical threshold, intense political instability ensues, both in democratic and non-authoritarian regimes, with a further risk of conflict between social groups and the provocation of general unrest. The imperative of ensuring and satisfying society's basic needs for food and decent living conditions should not be overlooked; it should be a primary concern among political leaders.

The challenge of high energy costs runs through all aspects of a country's economy, from manufacturing and agriculture to transport and processing, as well as the service sector, since energy is a key component of the value chain from the initial point of production to consumption. Higher energy costs increase inflation, potentially reducing consumers' purchasing power. When consumption rates slow or stagnate alongside a simultaneous increase in inflation, it creates an undesirable period of stagflation that, once it appears, consolidates and is difficult to reverse except through drastic changes and measures aimed at addressing the core problem of development and cost reduction. The global economic slowdown has also served as a brake on announced policies for the energy transition to green energy, as the schedule for implementing the EU's initial plan appears unfeasible. However, issues of prioritizing Europe's security are already being raised, mainly territorial and energy security.

The main targets of the European Green Deal and its related energy transition include achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, which includes decarbonizing the energy system, prioritizing energy efficiency, developing a power sector based on renewable resources, securing affordable energy, and creating a fully integrated, digitized energy market. However, the energy crisis acts as a brake and a negative catalyst on the EU's ability to achieve already ambitious goals. It reminds us of the necessity of changing the way we conceive of and implement policies to enable quick adaptation to unforeseen situations, since the only thing one can predict is that crises are increasingly likely in today's globalized world.

High energy costs, low home energy efficiency, and low incomes have affected the quality of life. Governments took measures and released funds to support the vulnerable households. However, the war may have serious ramifications for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which are targeted for 2030, especially SDG 1, “no poverty,” and SDG 2, “zero hunger.” Energy poverty is primarily related to SDG 7, “affordable and clean energy,” which intersects with SDG 1. However, SDG 7 explicitly focuses on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all, thereby directly addressing energy poverty (UN). The energy sector must transform itself to safeguard energy security, even in turbulent times.

5.2 Future research avenues

This paper highlights the impacts of the energy crisis in the aftermath of the Russia–Ukraine war. Given that the conflict is ongoing, it is not without certain research limitations. However, this situation also offers an opportunity to look ahead and identify emerging research avenues. Highlights for future endeavors include studies of: (a) connections between the energy sector and the Russia–Ukraine war that consider its spatial dimensions; (b) food and energy supply chains in times of crisis; (c) the impact of different government support measures during the energy crisis, particularly for businesses and households, using a comparative framework; (d) the impact of the energy transition and energy poverty during the war; (e) the use of this crisis as an opportunity to move toward the energy transition and achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals; and (f) the impact of the war on investments in renewable energy resources. As presented above, a wide range of topics need further research as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues.

Generative AI statement

The author(s) declared that generative AI was not used in the creation of this manuscript.

Any alternative text (alt text) provided alongside figures in this article has been generated by Frontiers with the support of artificial intelligence and reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, including review by the authors wherever possible. If you identify any issues, please contact us.

Publisher's note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary material

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsuep.2026.1755555/full#supplementary-material

Supplementary material Supplementary material at the source

Footnotes

Edited by: Dimitrios Zafirakis, University of West Attica, Greece

Reviewed by: Konstantinos Chalvatzis, University of Exeter, United Kingdom

Priyadarshi Roy Chowdhury, Gauhati University, India