diff --git a/src/evo/mnauth.cpp b/src/evo/mnauth.cpp
index dff552d4e3e8a3..8162371a069a0c 100644
--- a/src/evo/mnauth.cpp
+++ b/src/evo/mnauth.cpp
@@ -147,12 +147,14 @@ void CMNAuth::ProcessMessage(CNode& peer, PeerManager& peerman, CConnman& connma
                 LogPrint(BCLog::NET_NETCONN, "CMNAuth::ProcessMessage -- Masternode %s has already verified as peer %d, deterministicOutbound=%s. peer=%d\n",
                          mnauth.proRegTxHash.ToString(), pnode2->GetId(), deterministicOutbound.ToString(), peer.GetId());
                 if (deterministicOutbound == myProTxHash) {
+                    // NOTE: do not drop inbound nodes here, mark them as probes so that
+                    // they would be disconnected later in CMasternodeUtils::DoMaintenance
                     if (pnode2->fInbound) {
-                        LogPrint(BCLog::NET_NETCONN, "CMNAuth::ProcessMessage -- dropping old inbound, peer=%d\n", pnode2->GetId());
-                        pnode2->fDisconnect = true;
+                        LogPrint(BCLog::NET_NETCONN, "CMNAuth::ProcessMessage -- marking old inbound for dropping it later, peer=%d\n", pnode2->GetId());
+                        pnode2->m_masternode_probe_connection = true;
                     } else if (peer.fInbound) {
-                        LogPrint(BCLog::NET_NETCONN, "CMNAuth::ProcessMessage -- dropping new inbound, peer=%d\n", peer.GetId());
-                        peer.fDisconnect = true;
+                        LogPrint(BCLog::NET_NETCONN, "CMNAuth::ProcessMessage -- marking new inbound for dropping it later, peer=%d\n", peer.GetId());
+                        peer.m_masternode_probe_connection = true;
                     }
                 } else {
                     if (!pnode2->fInbound) {
diff --git a/src/masternode/utils.cpp b/src/masternode/utils.cpp
index 03fba7cec67135..b2c4dc55ab591c 100644
--- a/src/masternode/utils.cpp
+++ b/src/masternode/utils.cpp
@@ -46,30 +46,33 @@ void CMasternodeUtils::DoMaintenance(CConnman& connman, const CMasternodeSync& m
     }
 
     connman.ForEachNode(CConnman::AllNodes, [&](CNode* pnode) {
-        // we're only disconnecting m_masternode_connection connections
-        if (!pnode->m_masternode_connection) return;
-        if (!pnode->GetVerifiedProRegTxHash().IsNull()) {
-            // keep _verified_ LLMQ connections
-            if (connman.IsMasternodeQuorumNode(pnode)) {
-                return;
-            }
-            // keep _verified_ LLMQ relay connections
-            if (connman.IsMasternodeQuorumRelayMember(pnode->GetVerifiedProRegTxHash())) {
+        if (pnode->m_masternode_probe_connection) {
+            // we're not disconnecting masternode probes for at least a few seconds
+            if (GetSystemTimeInSeconds() - pnode->nTimeConnected < 5) return;
+        } else {
+            // we're only disconnecting m_masternode_connection connections
+            if (!pnode->m_masternode_connection) return;
+            if (!pnode->GetVerifiedProRegTxHash().IsNull()) {
+                // keep _verified_ LLMQ connections
+                if (connman.IsMasternodeQuorumNode(pnode)) {
+                    return;
+                }
+                // keep _verified_ LLMQ relay connections
+                if (connman.IsMasternodeQuorumRelayMember(pnode->GetVerifiedProRegTxHash())) {
+                    return;
+                }
+                // keep _verified_ inbound connections
+                if (pnode->fInbound) {
+                    return;
+                }
+            } else if (GetSystemTimeInSeconds() - pnode->nTimeConnected < 5) {
+                // non-verified, give it some time to verify itself
                 return;
-            }
-            // keep _verified_ inbound connections
-            if (pnode->fInbound) {
+            } else if (pnode->qwatch) {
+                // keep watching nodes
                 return;
             }
-        } else if (GetSystemTimeInSeconds() - pnode->nTimeConnected < 5) {
-            // non-verified, give it some time to verify itself
-            return;
-        } else if (pnode->qwatch) {
-            // keep watching nodes
-            return;
         }
-        // we're not disconnecting masternode probes for at least a few seconds
-        if (pnode->m_masternode_probe_connection && GetSystemTimeInSeconds() - pnode->nTimeConnected < 5) return;
 
 #ifdef ENABLE_WALLET
         bool fFound = ranges::any_of(vecDmns, [&pnode](const auto& dmn){ return pnode->addr == dmn->pdmnState->addr; });