diff --git a/src/udev/udev-watch.c b/src/udev/udev-watch.c
index 258eb26a65f..485eb973a4a 100644
--- a/src/udev/udev-watch.c
+++ b/src/udev/udev-watch.c
@@ -181,6 +181,9 @@ int udev_watch_begin(int inotify_fd, sd_device *dev) {
         assert(inotify_fd >= 0);
         assert(dev);
 
+        /* Ignore the request of watching the device node on remove event, as the device node specified by
+         * DEVNAME= has already been removed, and may already be assigned to another device. Consider the
+         * case e.g. a USB stick memory was unplugged and then another one is plugged. */
         if (device_for_action(dev, SD_DEVICE_REMOVE))
                 return 0;
 
diff --git a/src/udev/udev-worker.c b/src/udev/udev-worker.c
index 97c5679b74c..d3ead81846e 100644
--- a/src/udev/udev-worker.c
+++ b/src/udev/udev-worker.c
@@ -97,6 +97,12 @@ static int worker_lock_whole_disk(sd_device *dev, int *ret_fd) {
          * event handling; in the case udev acquired the lock, the external process can block until udev has
          * finished its event handling. */
 
+        /* Do not try to lock device on remove event, as the device node specified by DEVNAME= has already
+         * been removed, and may already be assigned to another device. Consider the case e.g. a USB stick
+         * memory was unplugged and then another one is plugged. */
+        if (device_for_action(dev, SD_DEVICE_REMOVE))
+                goto nolock;
+
         r = udev_get_whole_disk(dev, &dev_whole_disk, &val);
         if (r < 0)
                 return r;