diff --git a/.drone.jsonnet b/.drone.jsonnet
index 9c39b2126..03a31d08a 100644
--- a/.drone.jsonnet
+++ b/.drone.jsonnet
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ local Pipeline(branch, platform, event, arch="amd64", server="10.6-enterprise",
       prepareTestStage(getContainerName("mtr"), result, true),
       'MTR_SUITE_LIST=$([ "$MTR_FULL_SUITE" == true ] && echo "' + mtr_full_set + '" || echo "$MTR_SUITE_LIST")',
 
-      'bash /mdb/' + builddir + '/storage/columnstore/columnstore/build/run_mtr.sh' +
+      'apk add bash && bash /mdb/' + builddir + '/storage/columnstore/columnstore/build/run_mtr.sh' +
       ' --container-name ' + getContainerName("mtr") +
       ' --distro ' + platform +
       ' --suite-list $${MTR_SUITE_LIST}' +
@@ -365,7 +365,7 @@ local Pipeline(branch, platform, event, arch="amd64", server="10.6-enterprise",
   },
   prepare_regression:: {
     name: "prepare regression",
-    depends_on: ["mtr", "publish pkg", "publish cmapi build"],
+    depends_on: ["publish pkg", "publish cmapi build"],
     when: {
       status: ["success", "failure"],
     },
@@ -376,53 +376,23 @@ local Pipeline(branch, platform, event, arch="amd64", server="10.6-enterprise",
       REGRESSION_REF_AUX: branch_ref,
     },
     commands: [
-      // compute branch.
-      'echo "$$REGRESSION_REF"',
-      'echo "$$REGRESSION_BRANCH_REF"',
+      // REGRESSION_REF can be empty if there is no appropriate branch in regression repository.
       // if REGRESSION_REF is empty, try to see whether regression repository has a branch named as one we PR.
       'export REGRESSION_REF=$${REGRESSION_REF:-$$(git ls-remote https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-columnstore-regression-test --h --sort origin "refs/heads/$$REGRESSION_BRANCH_REF" | grep -E -o "[^/]+$$")}',
-      'echo "$$REGRESSION_REF"',
-      // REGRESSION_REF can be empty if there is no appropriate branch in regression repository.
-      // assign what is appropriate by default.
       "export REGRESSION_REF=$${REGRESSION_REF:-$$REGRESSION_REF_AUX}",
       'echo "$$REGRESSION_REF"',
-      // clone regression test repo
-      "git clone --recurse-submodules --branch $$REGRESSION_REF --depth 1 https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-columnstore-regression-test",
-      // where are we now?
-      "cd mariadb-columnstore-regression-test",
-      "git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD && git rev-parse HEAD",
-      "cd ..",
       prepareTestStage(getContainerName("regression"), result, true),
-
-      "docker cp mariadb-columnstore-regression-test regression$${DRONE_BUILD_NUMBER}:/",
-      // list storage manager binary
-      "ls -la /mdb/" + builddir + "/storage/columnstore/columnstore/storage-manager",
-      "docker cp /mdb/" + builddir + "/storage/columnstore/columnstore/storage-manager regression$${DRONE_BUILD_NUMBER}:/",
-      // check storage-manager unit test binary file
-      execInnerDocker("ls -l /storage-manager", getContainerName("regression")),
-      // copy test data for regression test suite
-      execInnerDocker('bash -c "wget -qO- https://cspkg.s3.amazonaws.com/testData.tar.lz4 | lz4 -dc - | tar xf - -C mariadb-columnstore-regression-test/"', getContainerName("regression")),
-
-      // set mariadb lower_case_table_names=1 config option
-      execInnerDocker('sed -i "/^.mariadb.$/a lower_case_table_names=1" ' + config_path_prefix + "server.cnf", getContainerName("regression")),
-      // set default client character set to utf-8
-      execInnerDocker('sed -i "/^.client.$/a default-character-set=utf8" ' + config_path_prefix + "client.cnf", getContainerName("regression")),
-
-      // Set RAM consumption limits to avoid RAM contention b/w mtr andregression steps.
-      execInnerDocker("/usr/bin/mcsSetConfig SystemConfig CGroup just_no_group_use_local", getContainerName("regression")),
-
-      execInnerDocker("systemctl start mariadb", getContainerName("regression")),
-      execInnerDocker("systemctl restart mariadb-columnstore", getContainerName("regression")),
-      // delay regression for manual debugging on live instance
-      "sleep $${REGRESSION_DELAY_SECONDS:-1s}",
-      execInnerDocker("/usr/bin/g++ /mariadb-columnstore-regression-test/mysql/queries/queryTester.cpp -O2 -o  /mariadb-columnstore-regression-test/mysql/queries/queryTester", getContainerName("regression")),
+      "apk add bash && bash /mdb/" + builddir + "/storage/columnstore/columnstore/build/prepare_regression.sh " +
+      "--container-name " + getContainerName("regression") +
+      " --regression-branch $$REGRESSION_REF" +
+      " --distro " + platform,
     ],
   },
   regression(name, depends_on):: {
     name: name,
     depends_on: depends_on,
     image: "docker:git",
-    volumes: [pipeline._volumes.docker],
+    volumes: [pipeline._volumes.docker, pipeline._volumes.mdb],
     when: {
       status: ["success", "failure"],
     },
@@ -433,12 +403,10 @@ local Pipeline(branch, platform, event, arch="amd64", server="10.6-enterprise",
       },
     },
     commands: [
-      execInnerDocker("mkdir -p reg-logs", getContainerName("regression"), "--workdir /mariadb-columnstore-regression-test/mysql/queries/nightly/alltest"),
-      execInnerDocker("bash -c 'sleep 4800 && bash /save_stack.sh /mariadb-columnstore-regression-test/mysql/queries/nightly/alltest/reg-logs/' & ",
-                      getContainerName("regresion")),
-      execInnerDockerNoTTY('bash -c "timeout -k 1m -s SIGKILL --preserve-status $${REGRESSION_TIMEOUT} ./go.sh --sm_unit_test_dir=/storage-manager --tests=' + name + " || ./regression_logs.sh " + name + '"',
-                           getContainerName("regression"),
-                           "--env PRESERVE_LOGS=true --workdir /mariadb-columnstore-regression-test/mysql/queries/nightly/alltest"),
+      "apk add bash && bash /mdb/" + builddir + "/storage/columnstore/columnstore/build/run_regression.sh " +
+      "--container-name " + getContainerName("regression") +
+      " --test-name " + name +
+      " --regression-timeout $${REGRESSION_TIMEOUT}",
     ],
   },
   regressionlog:: {
diff --git a/build/prepare_regression.sh b/build/prepare_regression.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..1e08c0c5d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build/prepare_regression.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -eo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_LOCATION=$(dirname "$0")
+source "$SCRIPT_LOCATION"/utils.sh
+
+optparse.define short=c long=container-name desc="Name of the Docker container where regression tests will run" variable=CONTAINER_NAME
+optparse.define short=b long=regression-branch desc="Branch from regression tests repo" variable=REGRESSION_BRANCH
+optparse.define short=d long=distro desc="Linux distro for which regression is executed" variable=DISTRO
+source $(optparse.build)
+
+for var in CONTAINER_NAME REGRESSION_BRANCH DISTRO; do
+  if [[ -z "${!var}" ]]; then
+    error "Missing required flag: -${var:0:1} / --${var,,}"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+done
+
+if [[ -z $(docker ps -q --filter "name=${CONTAINER_NAME}") ]]; then
+  error "Container '${CONTAINER_NAME}' is not running."
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if [[ "$DISTRO" == *rocky* ]]; then
+    CONFIG_PATH_PREFIX="/etc/my.cnf.d/"
+else
+    CONFIG_PATH_PREFIX="/etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-"
+fi
+
+BUILD_DIR="verylongdirnameforverystrangecpackbehavior"
+
+git clone --recurse-submodules --branch "${REGRESSION_BRANCH}" --depth 1 https://github.com/mariadb-corporation/mariadb-columnstore-regression-test
+
+cd mariadb-columnstore-regression-test
+git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD && git rev-parse HEAD
+cd ..
+
+docker cp mariadb-columnstore-regression-test "${CONTAINER_NAME}:/"
+
+echo "list storage manager binary:"
+ls -la "/mdb/${BUILD_DIR}/storage/columnstore/columnstore/storage-manager"
+
+docker cp "/mdb/${BUILD_DIR}/storage/columnstore/columnstore/storage-manager" "${CONTAINER_NAME}:/"
+
+#copy test data for regression test suite
+execInnerDocker "$CONTAINER_NAME" 'bash -c "wget -qO- https://cspkg.s3.amazonaws.com/testData.tar.lz4 | lz4 -dc - | tar xf - -C mariadb-columnstore-regression-test/"'
+
+# set mariadb lower_case_table_names=1 config option
+execInnerDocker "$CONTAINER_NAME" "sed -i '/^\[mariadb\]/a lower_case_table_names=1' ${CONFIG_PATH_PREFIX}server.cnf"
+
+# set default client character set to utf-8
+execInnerDocker "$CONTAINER_NAME" "sed -i '/^\[client\]/a default-character-set=utf8' ${CONFIG_PATH_PREFIX}client.cnf"
+
+
+execInnerDocker "$CONTAINER_NAME" "systemctl start mariadb"
+execInnerDocker "$CONTAINER_NAME" "systemctl restart mariadb-columnstore"
+
+# Set RAM consumption limits to avoid RAM contention b/w mtr and regression steps.
+execInnerDocker "$CONTAINER_NAME" '/usr/bin/mcsSetConfig SystemConfig CGroup just_no_group_use_local'
+
+# Compile queryTester inside container
+execInnerDocker "$CONTAINER_NAME" "g++ /mariadb-columnstore-regression-test/mysql/queries/queryTester.cpp -O2 -o /mariadb-columnstore-regression-test/mysql/queries/queryTester"
+
+echo "Prepare_regression stage has completed"
diff --git a/build/run_regression.sh b/build/run_regression.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..73c2e240c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build/run_regression.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+set -eo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_LOCATION=$(dirname "$0")
+source "$SCRIPT_LOCATION"/utils.sh
+
+optparse.define short=c long=container-name desc="Name of the Docker container where regression tests will be executed" variable=CONTAINER_NAME
+optparse.define short=t long=regression-timeout desc="Name of the Docker container where regression tests will be executed" variable=REGRESSION_TIMEOUT
+optparse.define short=n long=test-name desc="Test name" variable=TEST_NAME
+source $(optparse.build)
+
+echo "Arguments received: $@"
+
+if [[ "$EUID" -ne 0 ]]; then
+    error "Please run script as root"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+if [[ -z "${CONTAINER_NAME}" ]]; then
+    echo "Please provide mtr container name as a parameter, e.g. ./run_mtr.sh -c mtr183"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+if [[ -z $(docker ps -q --filter "name=${CONTAINER_NAME}") ]]; then
+    error "Container '${CONTAINER_NAME}' is not running."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+execInnerDocker "$CONTAINER_NAME" "cd /mariadb-columnstore-regression-test/mysql/queries/nightly/alltest && mkdir -p reg-logs"
+
+execInnerDocker "$CONTAINER_NAME" "bash -c 'sleep 4800 && bash /save_stack.sh /mariadb-columnstore-regression-test/mysql/queries/nightly/alltest/reg-logs/' &"
+
+execInnerDockerNoTTY "$CONTAINER_NAME" \
+  "export PRESERVE_LOGS=true && cd /mariadb-columnstore-regression-test/mysql/queries/nightly/alltest && \
+   bash -c \"timeout -k 1m -s SIGKILL --preserve-status ${REGRESSION_TIMEOUT} ./go.sh --sm_unit_test_dir=/storage-manager --tests=${TEST_NAME} \
+     || ./regression_logs.sh ${TEST_NAME}\""
diff --git a/build/utils.sh b/build/utils.sh
index 56b6ee3c7..771b575d2 100644
--- a/build/utils.sh
+++ b/build/utils.sh
@@ -535,6 +535,19 @@ function execInnerDocker() {
   fi
 }
 
+function execInnerDockerNoTTY() {
+  local container_name=$1
+  shift 1
+
+  docker exec "$container_name" bash -c "$@"
+  local dockerCommandExitCode=$?
+
+  if [[ $dockerCommandExitCode -ne 0 ]]; then
+    error "Command \"$@\" failed in container \"$container_name\""
+    exit $dockerCommandExitCode
+  fi
+}
+
 function change_ubuntu_mirror() {
   local region="$1"
   message "Changing Ubuntu mirror to $region"