Gukovo (Russian: Гу́ково) is a mining town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located close to the border with Ukraine.

[7] The city is located in the northwestern part of Rostov Oblast, occupies an area of 34.4 km2, and consists of six separate neighborhoods (former mining settlements) that are several kilometers apart.

[8] The territory of the city adjoins directly to the state border of the Russian Federation and Ukraine, there are railway and automobile international checkpoints.

In the early 19th century, in 1802, the land on which the city is located today, belonged to the Cossack centurion Gukov, who founded the khutor.

However, the town was born in 1878, when a new railroad went through this territory, connecting Likhaya station with the center of Donetsk coal basin - Debaltsevo.

The railway station, built on the future territory of the city, was originally called Kovalyovo, but in 1904 it was renamed Gukovo.

[9] A tragic page in the history of Gukovo was the mass execution of hundreds of disobedient residents in Kovalevsky stone quarry.

After the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad on February 2, 1943 the Soviet troops moved westward, overcoming the resistance of the Nazis.

At that time "Gukovshakhtostroy" trust was founded, active construction of both industrial objects, and housing and cultural institutions was started.

In a young town a large palace of culture was built, a construction college and a vocational school were opened.

In 1970 on the basis of the trust "Gukovugol" was formed an independent plant, which also absorbed the mining enterprises of the neighboring city of Donetsk.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ensuing economic crisis that led to the closure of many enterprises of extractive industries, the city's population declined slightly.

Throughout the 1990s, it remained stable, but starting in the 2010s, it gradually began to decline as city residents moved to the regional center of Rostov-on-Don.

[12] At the beginning of 1998 due to the insolvency of the Head office Rostovsotsbank the heads of Gukovsky branch Leonid Shafirov (later - an honorary citizen of Gukovo) and Ludmila Klochko with the help of Gukovo management and JSC "Gukovugol" invited depositors and other customers to get their savings, and also sold assets and asked the borrowers to repay their loans.

[15] The city of Gukovo is famous for the fact that in its vicinity for a long time a stage of the Russian Rally Championship with the same name was held.