[1] Yunakivka was founded in 1685 by sotnik S. Yunok, comprising lands he owned which were farmed by migrants from Volhynia.

Prior to the emancipation reform of 1861 Yunakivka was a subject of the House of Golitsyn, which owned 7,312 serfs in the surrounding area.

[2] As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Yunakivka's location six kilometres from the Russia–Ukraine border has led to threats against the local population.

The village's kindergarten was destroyed, causing some families to leave, but the majority of residents have refused to flee.

It is one of three Eastern Orthodox churches built by the House of Golitsyn, and the only one which has survived to the present day.