Ukrainian servicemen in Germany began training on American M1 Abrams tanks.

Lt. Col. Garron Garn, the Pentagon spokesman, said about this, The New York Times reports.

The first group of about 400 soldiers started training on how to operate and maintain these tanks. The training of the Ukrainians is expected to last 10 to 12 weeks.

On Friday, combined arms instruction for about 200 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine began in Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels.

According to Garn, that instruction includes basic soldiering tasks like marksmanship and medical skills, along with training at platoon and company levels, and eventually larger exercises involving battalion-size units facing off against one another.

At the same time, the other 200 Ukrainian soldiers started training on how to fuel and maintain the tanks.

Previously, in May, the United States delivered 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Germany to train Ukrainian crews.

The training program includes not only the instruction of crews to operate American tanks but also the exercise for maintenance personnel of these combat vehicles. The tanks were delivered to the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany.

Last month, the United States announced its plans to start a training program for Ukrainian crews of M1 Abrams tanks in June this year.

Lloyd Austin, United States Secretary of Defense, announced that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will receive American Abrams tanks in early autumn. By that time, training programs for the Ukrainian military on these combat vehicles should be completed.

As previously reported, instead of M1A2 Abrams promised in January of this year, the Defense Forces of Ukraine will receive M1A1 variant tanks, but sooner.

Initially, it was planned that the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative would fund the transfer and purchase of new tanks from the manufacturer. Now, they will be withdrawn from the reserves of the U.S. Armed Forces. Tanks will be refurbished and refitted before shipping.