LUGANSK, August 23. /TASS/. Russia is expanding with the help of drone strikes its control zone in Novogrigorovka in the Donetsk People's Republic, from where almost all Ukrainian units retreated, military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS.

"The settlement of Novogrigorovka remains in the so-called gray zone. Our troops are systematically expanding their zone of control thanks to the operations of unmanned aerial vehicles. Currently, our guys and drones are actively operating in this sector. In fact, it is the UAVs that are expanding the zone of control in this area - both in the northern direction from Novogrigorovka, as well as in the eastern and western directions," he said.

Earlier, Marochko told TASS that the Russian military almost completely drove the Ukrainian army out of Raiskoye; the neighboring Novogrigorovka is also "under close scrutiny" by the Russian forces.