Druzhkivka ( uk, Дружківка, ; russian: Дружковка, Druzhkovka) is a
city of oblast significance in
Donetsk Oblast (
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
) of
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. Population: ; 64,557 (2001). The area of the city is 46 km².
Druzhkivka is a city located near the confluence of the
Kryvyi Torets and
Kazennyi Torets rivers, about 80 km northeast of
Donetsk
Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: cities' alternative names), is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine loca ...
.
History
Historical records indicate that a settlement named Druzhkivka was established in this area by 1781. From the late 19th through the 20th century, Druzhkivka grew into a mid-size industrial city with several large factories producing mining equipment and machinery, hardware, kitchen stoves, china tableware and bricks, as well as several clay-extracting quarries in the city's
vicinity
Surroundings are the area around a given physical or geographical point or place. The exact definition depends on the field. Surroundings can also be used in geography (when it is more precisely known as vicinity, or vicinage) and mathematics, ...
. The economic collapse that resulted from the breakup of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
resulted in the rapid decline of local industries, with factories closing or barely functioning — a condition that led to high unemployment and a population exodus. When the jobs disappeared, many of them moved away. The current population of less than 60,000 is well below the historical high of at least 80,000 during the mid-1980s. Currently, many residents work part-time in various other countries. However, since temporary foreign workers bring their incomes back home to spend, this has led to the rapid growth in the local services and
retail industries.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Druzhkivka was occupied by the
German army from October 22, 1941 to February 6, 1943 and again from February 9 to September 6, 1943. During their occupation, the
SS killed many local Jews. A witness from the village described the SS hanging Jews along the railway.
During the
2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine
From the end of February 2014, demonstrations by pro-Russian and anti-government groups took place in major cities across the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity, which resulted in the succe ...
the town was captured in mid-April 2014 by
pro-Russian separatists. The city was eventually recaptured by Ukrainian forces on 7 July 2014, along with
Bakhmut.
Demographics
The population of Druzhkivka as of June 1, 2017 is 67 772 people.
Ethnicity as of the
Ukrainian Census of 2001:
* 48,302 Ukrainians (64.4%)
* 24,122 Russians (32.2%)
* 612 Armenians (0.8%)
* 490 Belarusians (0.7%)
* 216 Tatars (0.3%)
First language as of the 2001 census:
*
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
70.3%
*
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
28.4%
*
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
0.5%
*
Belarusian 0.1%
Municipality
Settlements subordinate to Druzhivka city include:
* Druzhkivka;
* Mykolaipillia ()
*
Novohryhorivka ()
*
Novomykolaivka ()
*
Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka ()
*
Raiske ()
Gallery
File:Druschkiwka-085-1.jpg, Druzhkivka tram
File:Дружківка.jpg, Railway station
File:Druzhkivka - Monument of plumbing specialist (santekhnik).JPG, Plumber monument in Druzhkivka
External links
*
druzhkovka.com- Druzhkovka city portal
*
druzhkovka.info- Wiki-based website about Druzhkivka
References
{{Authority control
Cities in Donetsk Oblast
Populated places established in 1781
Yekaterinoslav Governorate
Cities of regional significance in Ukraine
Populated places established in the Russian Empire
Holocaust locations in Ukraine
1781 establishments in the Russian Empire
Kramatorsk Raion