The first  houses in Lisichansk have been connected to the gas grid, the Lugansk People’s Republic government press service said.

“The town gas distributing plant has launched the gas supply system,” the press service said.   Lisichansk district gas supply facility head Natalia Ashuiko said that gas connection is ongoing.   “A remarkable benchmark event has happened today: we’re supplying gas to the town,” Ashuiko said.  “We began with neighborhood No 1; our target is 30 houses and as of 15:30, we had reconnected 23.”   The press service of the Luganskgaz state unitary enterprise said that to resume gas supply to Lisichansk, local utility personnel had repaired stretches of the Lugansk-Lisichansk-Rubezhnoye trunk pipeline damaged by Ukrainian army projectiles. The gas utility also inspected and repaired more than 60 kilometers of inlet and distribution gas pipes.   Earlier, gas supply was restored to the first houses in Severodonetsk and Rubezhnoye.   LPR militia units began to advance towards Severodonetsk and Lisichansk in early March. Supported by Russian forces, they gained a foothold in Severodonetsk on May 29. On June 25, they took under full control the industrial zone of the Azot works in the town. On the same day, the coalition forces entered Lisichansk. Both towns were liberated by early July.   On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation to protect Donbass residents from Ukrainian aggression. Earlier, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin asked the Russian leader to provide military assistance. On July 3, the LPR militia and Russian armed forces fully liberated the LPR territory from Ukrainian armed formations.   The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014.  The Donbass peace talks participants have announced ceasefire more than 20 times since the autumn of 2014. Kiev forces regularly violated the truce opening fire with large caliber artillery, mortars and tank guns which were to have been withdrawn from the contact line under the accords. *i*ie