KYIV -- Ukraine has received a plane load of machine guns, surveillance gear and rifles as part of a Canadian military assistance package, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Saturday.

Ukraine has received plane loads of arms and military gear from NATO allies as the country braces for a possible military attack by Russia.

"We received military aid in the form of rifles, machine guns with optical sights, night vision & surveillance devices & military equipment. Thank you for this important & timely decision," Reznikov wrote in a tweet.