Citation: Tysiachniouk, M.S.; Kotilainen, J. Intentional Communities Finding Space Amid Geopolitical Turmoil: Belbek Valley Case Study. Sustainability 2022, 14, 11138. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su141811138 Academic Editor: Elena Cristina Rada Received: 13 July 2022 Accepted: 2 September 2022 Published: 6 September 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). sustainability Article Intentional Communities Finding Space Amid Geopolitical Turmoil: Belbek Valley Case Study Maria S. Tysiachniouk * and Juha Kotilainen University of Eastern Finland, Department of Geographical and Historical Studies, Yliopistokatu 7, FI-80100 Joensuu, Finland * Correspondence: maria.tysiachniouk@uef.fi or tysiachn@yandex.ru Abstract: The authoritarian regime in Russia represents a political context of societal turmoil in which the challenges for building sustainability can be studied. We explore intentional communities (ICs) with an environmental component that often appear with a focus on other issues such as spirituality and culture. Our focus is on Crimea’s Belbek Valley, a contested space that has nevertheless become attractive for ICs. We use semi-structured and open-ended interviews to collect data, which we analyze thematically. We discuss the reasons for the emergence of the ICs in the Belbek Valley and the variety of different ICs and initiatives there and build a typology of the ICs. They stand in stark contrast with neighboring traditional villages in Crimea. The Belbek Valley’s ICs are small- scale alternatives to the mainstream lifestyle, and they aim for a low carbon footprint, practicing permaculture, the application of energy and water saving technologies, vegetarianism, and yoga. The number of environmental practices adopted by each IC depends on the scale of their activities and investments in the infrastructure. We conclude by emphasizing the paradoxical nature of the Belbek Valley becoming a hub for ICs seeking long-term sustainability amid geopolitical turmoil. Keywords: intentional communities; eco-villages; alternative lifestyles; contested territory; Crimea; Russia; sustainable communities 1. Introduction Sustainability in conditions of societal instability is an issue that calls for more attention: throughout the world there are places where environmental challenges are embedded amid sometimes enduring political turmoil. The authoritarian regime in Russia [1] represents such a political and societal context, and Crimea is a politically contested space. Yet small- scale initiatives for sustainability have emerged there. Why is this happening in a place like Crimea, and to what extent can sustainability initiatives thrive in such conditions? In this paper, we explore the actions and motivations of collectives that establish new communities in which they can practice a lifestyle they see as more beneficial from an environmental perspective than how their society in general relates to its physical environment. In this regard, we wish to expand the literature on intentional communities (ICs) by investigating how such communities are being formed in contemporary Russia. Much of the literature on intentional communities has focused on societies in Western Europe and North America [2–6], where relatively stable and well-established democratic political systems are in place alongside an economic system that can be characterized as based on free markets or late capitalism, notwithstanding the presence of a welfare state. In this context, civil society actors have relative liberty to form their own ideas vis-à-vis mainstream values within the society in which they live and move to places of their choosing to form ecologically minded collectives, as long as they can find a way to get the properties into their possession through purchase or rental. Russia’s societal and political space offers a different context in which civil society has come under intense pressure from the government regime in recent years, with those Sustainability 2022, 14, 11138. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811138 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability