MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/. Kiev received the first batch of M1A1 Abrams tanks from Australia, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denis Shmygal said. "Austrlia handed the first batch of M1A1 Abrams tanks over to Ukraine. Most of the 49 tanks have entered service with the Ukrainian armed forces," he wrote on Telegram. The rest of the tanks will be delivered "in the coming months," Shmygal added. According to him, this is "part of a $245 million aid package, which is included in the $1.5 billion assistance that Australia has provided to Ukraine since the start of the conflict." Australia announced the delivery of decommissioned tanks to Ukraine back in May. Since March 2022, Australia has been sending weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, including Bushmaster armored personnel carriers, M777 howitzers, M113 armored vehicles, anti-tank systems, and drones. Canberra has also sent 90 military instructors involved in the training of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the UK, and since October 2023, an Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail reconnaissance aircraft and up to 100 military personnel have been deployed at the Ramstein airbase in Germany to assist in protecting supply routes to Ukraine. It is also known that at least 48 Australian citizens are participating in the fighting on the side of the Ukrainian armed forces.