Druzhkivka (Ukrainian: Дружківка, pronounced [drʊʒˈk⁽ʲ⁾iu̯kɐ] ⓘ; Russian: Дружковка, romanized: Druzhkovka) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine.

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.

[citation needed] The economic collapse that resulted from the breakup of the Soviet Union 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.

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.

[4][5] The city was eventually recaptured by Ukrainian forces on 7 July 2014, along with Bakhmut.