diff --git a/net/ipv6/ip6_output.c b/net/ipv6/ip6_output.c
index fadad8e83521..e427f5040a08 100644
--- a/net/ipv6/ip6_output.c
+++ b/net/ipv6/ip6_output.c
@@ -919,6 +919,9 @@ int ip6_fragment(struct net *net, struct sock *sk, struct sk_buff *skb,
 		if (err < 0)
 			goto fail;
 
+		/* We prevent @rt from being freed. */
+		rcu_read_lock();
+
 		for (;;) {
 			/* Prepare header of the next frame,
 			 * before previous one went down. */
@@ -942,6 +945,7 @@ int ip6_fragment(struct net *net, struct sock *sk, struct sk_buff *skb,
 		if (err == 0) {
 			IP6_INC_STATS(net, ip6_dst_idev(&rt->dst),
 				      IPSTATS_MIB_FRAGOKS);
+			rcu_read_unlock();
 			return 0;
 		}
 
@@ -949,6 +953,7 @@ int ip6_fragment(struct net *net, struct sock *sk, struct sk_buff *skb,
 
 		IP6_INC_STATS(net, ip6_dst_idev(&rt->dst),
 			      IPSTATS_MIB_FRAGFAILS);
+		rcu_read_unlock();
 		return err;
 
 slow_path_clean: