KIEV : Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov announced that the first Gepard air defence systems from Germany have arrived in Ukraine.

"Today, the first three Gepards officially reached. These are anti-aircraft systems, for which we have received tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition," Ukrayinska Pravda quoted the Minister as saying on Monday.  "We are looking forward to getting the first 15 Gepards. Three arrived in Ukraine today. They are already at the disposal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," he said.

German government said earlier this month an official list of armaments it wanted to deploy to Ukraine, including 30 Gepard air defence systems.

Previously, the availability of ammunition for Gepard was regarded as an issue, as only somewhat less than 60,000 35 mm shells were available. 

After several weeks of searching, the German government and the Norwegian Ministry of Defence discovered a firm capable of producing extra munitions.

Earlier, the manufacturer trained Ukrainian soldiers in Germany on how to use the systems.

The Gepard is an anti-aircraft gun, or flak tank, with twin 35-mm guns. It can be used against aircraft and helicopters at altitudes of up to 3,500 meters but also against lightly-armored ground targets such as infantry vehicles and transport tanks.

Zelensky Changes the commander as Russia squeeze Ukraine

China sends troops and tanks to Russia

Zelensky denounces Russia's open gas war against Europe