DONETSK, April 18. /TASS/. The activity of Ukrainian reconnaissance drones has significantly increased in the Donetsk direction, Yan Gagin, adviser to the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), told TASS on Tuesday.

"The enemy has stepped up aerial reconnaissance activities in the Donetsk area. The number of drones in this direction has increased considerably," he said, adding that this indicates that Ukraine plans to stage a counteroffensive, which "we should expect."

"They are testing the ground, checking the response time of our air defense systems, and their strength. This is the so-called intelligence battle," he said.

Two Ukrainian drones were downed in Donetsk by an air defense system on Tuesday. One of the drones was stuffed with a large amount of explosives.