diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
index 1c8d849d62..2f32fd5b4a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -297,6 +297,21 @@ jobs:
       AZ_TENANT_ID: ${{ secrets.AZ_TENANT_ID }}
       AZ_SUBSCRIPTION_ID: ${{ secrets.AZ_SUBSCRIPTION_ID }}
 
+  run-k8s-tests-on-free-runner:
+    if: ${{ inputs.skip-test != 'yes' }}
+    needs: publish-kata-deploy-payload-amd64
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/run-k8s-tests-on-free-runner.yaml
+    with:
+      tarball-suffix: -${{ inputs.tag }}
+      registry: ghcr.io
+      repo: ${{ github.repository_owner }}/kata-deploy-ci
+      tag: ${{ inputs.tag }}-amd64
+      commit-hash: ${{ inputs.commit-hash }}
+      pr-number: ${{ inputs.pr-number }}
+      target-branch: ${{ inputs.target-branch }}
+
   run-k8s-tests-on-arm64:
     if: ${{ inputs.skip-test != 'yes' }}
     needs: publish-kata-deploy-payload-arm64
diff --git a/.github/workflows/run-k8s-tests-on-aks.yaml b/.github/workflows/run-k8s-tests-on-aks.yaml
index 1a347c487c..7649aed6eb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/run-k8s-tests-on-aks.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/run-k8s-tests-on-aks.yaml
@@ -42,17 +42,6 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
-        host_os:
-          - ubuntu
-        vmm:
-          - clh
-          - dragonball
-          - qemu
-          - qemu-runtime-rs
-          - cloud-hypervisor
-        instance-type:
-          - small
-          - normal
         include:
           - host_os: cbl-mariner
             vmm: clh
@@ -80,6 +69,7 @@ jobs:
       KUBERNETES: "vanilla"
       K8S_TEST_HOST_TYPE: ${{ matrix.instance-type }}
       GENPOLICY_PULL_METHOD: ${{ matrix.genpolicy-pull-method }}
+      RUNS_ON_AKS: "true"
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/run-k8s-tests-on-free-runner.yaml b/.github/workflows/run-k8s-tests-on-free-runner.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..65ac992b29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/run-k8s-tests-on-free-runner.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+# Run Kubernetes integration tests on free GitHub runners  with a locally
+# deployed cluster (kubeadm).
+name: CI | Run kubernetes tests on free runner
+on:
+  workflow_call:
+    inputs:
+      tarball-suffix:
+        required: false
+        type: string
+      registry:
+        required: true
+        type: string
+      repo:
+        required: true
+        type: string
+      tag:
+        required: true
+        type: string
+      pr-number:
+        required: true
+        type: string
+      commit-hash:
+        required: false
+        type: string
+      target-branch:
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: ""
+
+permissions: {}
+
+jobs:
+  run-k8s-tests:
+    name: run-k8s-tests
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        environment: [
+          { vmm: clh, containerd_version: lts },
+          { vmm: clh, containerd_version: active },
+          { vmm: dragonball, containerd_version: lts },
+          { vmm: dragonball, containerd_version: active },
+          { vmm: qemu, containerd_version: lts },
+          { vmm: qemu, containerd_version: active },
+          { vmm: qemu-runtime-rs, containerd_version: lts },
+          { vmm: qemu-runtime-rs, containerd_version: active },
+          { vmm: cloud-hypervisor, containerd_version: lts },
+          { vmm: cloud-hypervisor, containerd_version: active },
+        ]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+    env:
+      DOCKER_REGISTRY: ${{ inputs.registry }}
+      DOCKER_REPO: ${{ inputs.repo }}
+      DOCKER_TAG: ${{ inputs.tag }}
+      GH_PR_NUMBER: ${{ inputs.pr-number }}
+      KATA_HOST_OS: ubuntu
+      KATA_HYPERVISOR: ${{ matrix.environment.vmm }}
+      KUBERNETES: vanilla
+      K8S_TEST_HOST_TYPE: baremetal-no-attestation
+      CONTAINER_ENGINE: containerd
+      CONTAINER_ENGINE_VERSION: ${{ matrix.environment.containerd_version }}
+      GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ inputs.commit-hash }}
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - name: Rebase atop of the latest target branch
+        run: |
+          ./tests/git-helper.sh "rebase-atop-of-the-latest-target-branch"
+        env:
+          TARGET_BRANCH: ${{ inputs.target-branch }}
+
+      - name: get-kata-tools-tarball
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@d3f86a106a0bac45b974a628896c90dbdf5c8093 # v4.3.0
+        with:
+          name: kata-tools-static-tarball-amd64${{ inputs.tarball-suffix }}
+          path: kata-tools-artifacts
+
+      - name: Install kata-tools
+        run: bash tests/integration/kubernetes/gha-run.sh install-kata-tools kata-tools-artifacts
+
+      - name: Remove unnecessary directories to free up space
+        run: |
+          sudo rm -rf /usr/local/.ghcup
+          sudo rm -rf /opt/hostedtoolcache/CodeQL
+          sudo rm -rf /usr/local/lib/android
+          sudo rm -rf /usr/share/dotnet
+          sudo rm -rf /opt/ghc
+          sudo rm -rf /usr/local/share/boost
+          sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/jvm
+          sudo rm -rf /usr/share/swift
+          sudo rm -rf /usr/local/share/powershell
+          sudo rm -rf /usr/local/julia*
+          sudo rm -rf /opt/az
+          sudo rm -rf /usr/local/share/chromium
+          sudo rm -rf /opt/microsoft
+          sudo rm -rf /opt/google
+          sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/firefox
+
+      - name: Deploy k8s (kubeadm)
+        run: bash tests/integration/kubernetes/gha-run.sh deploy-k8s
+
+      - name: Install `bats`
+        run: bash tests/integration/kubernetes/gha-run.sh install-bats
+
+      - name: Deploy Kata
+        timeout-minutes: 20
+        run: bash tests/integration/kubernetes/gha-run.sh deploy-kata
+
+      - name: Run tests
+        timeout-minutes: 60
+        run: bash tests/integration/kubernetes/gha-run.sh run-tests
+
+      - name: Report tests
+        if: always()
+        run: bash tests/integration/kubernetes/gha-run.sh report-tests
+
+      - name: Delete kata-deploy
+        if: always()
+        timeout-minutes: 15
+        run: bash tests/integration/kubernetes/gha-run.sh cleanup
+
diff --git a/tests/gha-run-k8s-common.sh b/tests/gha-run-k8s-common.sh
index 9580f931d5..a867910c8e 100644
--- a/tests/gha-run-k8s-common.sh
+++ b/tests/gha-run-k8s-common.sh
@@ -417,6 +417,14 @@ function deploy_vanilla_k8s() {
 	[[ -z "${container_engine}" ]] && die "container_engine is required"
 	[[ -z "${container_engine_version}" ]] && die "container_engine_version is required"
 
+	# Resolve lts/active to the actual version from versions.yaml (e.g. v1.7, v2.1)
+	case "${container_engine_version}" in
+		lts|active)
+			container_engine_version=$(get_from_kata_deps ".externals.containerd.${container_engine_version}")
+			;;
+		*) ;;
+	esac
+
 	install_system_dependencies "runc"
 	load_k8s_needed_modules
 	set_k8s_network_parameters
diff --git a/tests/integration/kubernetes/gha-run.sh b/tests/integration/kubernetes/gha-run.sh
index 0b2be19f30..ae28d1c595 100755
--- a/tests/integration/kubernetes/gha-run.sh
+++ b/tests/integration/kubernetes/gha-run.sh
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ export PULL_TYPE="${PULL_TYPE:-default}"
 export TEST_CLUSTER_NAMESPACE="${TEST_CLUSTER_NAMESPACE:-kata-containers-k8s-tests}"
 export GENPOLICY_PULL_METHOD="${GENPOLICY_PULL_METHOD:-oci-distribution}"
 export TARGET_ARCH="${TARGET_ARCH:-x86_64}"
+export RUNS_ON_AKS="${RUNS_ON_AKS:-false}"
 
 function configure_devmapper() {
 	sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/containerd/devmapper
diff --git a/tests/integration/kubernetes/setup.sh b/tests/integration/kubernetes/setup.sh
index be8203d70b..3c090243e8 100644
--- a/tests/integration/kubernetes/setup.sh
+++ b/tests/integration/kubernetes/setup.sh
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ export AUTO_GENERATE_POLICY="${AUTO_GENERATE_POLICY:-no}"
 export KATA_HOST_OS="${KATA_HOST_OS:-}"
 export KATA_HYPERVISOR="${KATA_HYPERVISOR:-}"
 export PULL_TYPE="${PULL_TYPE:-default}"
+export RUNS_ON_AKS="${RUNS_ON_AKS:-false}"
 
 declare -r kubernetes_dir=$(dirname "$(readlink -f "$0")")
 declare -r runtimeclass_workloads_work_dir="${kubernetes_dir}/runtimeclass_workloads_work"
diff --git a/tests/integration/kubernetes/tests_common.sh b/tests/integration/kubernetes/tests_common.sh
index 3e69a1dbb8..5a2984deeb 100644
--- a/tests/integration/kubernetes/tests_common.sh
+++ b/tests/integration/kubernetes/tests_common.sh
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ AUTO_GENERATE_POLICY="${AUTO_GENERATE_POLICY:-}"
 GENPOLICY_PULL_METHOD="${GENPOLICY_PULL_METHOD:-}"
 KATA_HYPERVISOR="${KATA_HYPERVISOR:-}"
 KATA_HOST_OS="${KATA_HOST_OS:-}"
+RUNS_ON_AKS="${RUNS_ON_AKS:-false}"
 
 # Common setup for tests.
 #
@@ -98,13 +99,11 @@ is_nvidia_gpu_platform() {
 }
 
 is_aks_cluster() {
-	case "${KATA_HYPERVISOR}" in
-		"qemu-tdx"|"qemu-snp"|qemu-nvidia-gpu*)
-			return 1
-			;;
-		*)
-			return 0
-	esac
+	if [[ "${RUNS_ON_AKS}" = "true" ]]; then
+		return 0
+	fi
+
+	return 1
 }
 
 adapt_common_policy_settings_for_non_coco() {