The city's outdated industry has caused accidents like that of a gas explosion which occurred in June 2008 at one of Yenakiieve's coal mines.

In 1895, engineers F. Yenakiev and B. Yalovetsky and several Belgian businessmen founded a Russian-Belgian metallurgic company which by 1897 constructed the new Petrovsky cast-iron plant around Fyodorovka.

Before World War I several plants were built in Yenakiieve: coke chemical, brick, beer brewing and butter making.

In 1950, about twelve Italian POWs (prisoners of war) were put on trial, over atrocities in Yenakiieve including the destruction of a hospital.

On 16 September 1979, on the territory near Yenakiieve in the mine «Yuny Communar» there was one of the Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy—an object «Klivazh».

[3] On 7 August 2014, separatists shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 in the sky over Yenakiieve, presumably from the Buk complex provided by the Russian side; the pilot tried to divert the plane away from residential areas.

[4][5] On 13 August, the metallurgical plant was stopped, according to a statement from the management, "in order to prevent a man-made disaster and save the lives of the townspeople."

The work of the treasury and banking system was completely stopped in the city, and the activities of a number of enterprises were suspended.

[7] On 14 November, Yenakiieve was included in the list of settlements in the East of Ukraine, where the Ukrainian authorities are temporarily not operating.