April 15 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday it was introducing a new model of combat operations integrating drone warfare with infantry and pointed to successes it said had been achieved in retaking territory from Russian forces in the south of the country.
"A new model of warfare is being introduced, drone-assault units that combine aerial and ground unmanned systems with infantry into a single integrated system," the ministry said in a statement on Telegram.
"This approach has already produced results in the south, where since February a large area of territory has been liberated, precisely thanks to the use of these advanced units."
Ukraine's top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Wednesday that Kyiv's forces had regained control of nearly 50 sq km (19 sq miles) of its territory from Russia in March, building on its gains since the start of the year.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski, Editing by Nick Zieminski)
