diff --git a/net/ipv6/route.c b/net/ipv6/route.c
index 9658939511e0..08bd68f1b5bb 100644
--- a/net/ipv6/route.c
+++ b/net/ipv6/route.c
@@ -4019,6 +4019,7 @@ static int __ip6_del_rt_siblings(struct fib6_info *rt, struct fib6_config *cfg)
 	struct net *net = info->nl_net;
 	struct sk_buff *skb = NULL;
 	struct fib6_table *table;
+	struct fib6_node *fn;
 	int err = -ENOENT;
 
 	if (rt == net->ipv6.fib6_null_entry)
@@ -4026,9 +4027,13 @@ static int __ip6_del_rt_siblings(struct fib6_info *rt, struct fib6_config *cfg)
 	table = rt->fib6_table;
 	spin_lock_bh(&table->tb6_lock);
 
+	fn = rcu_dereference_protected(rt->fib6_node,
+				       lockdep_is_held(&table->tb6_lock));
+	if (!fn)
+		goto out_unlock;
+
 	if (rt->fib6_nsiblings && cfg->fc_delete_all_nh) {
 		struct fib6_info *sibling, *next_sibling;
-		struct fib6_node *fn;
 
 		/* prefer to send a single notification with all hops */
 		skb = nlmsg_new(rt6_nlmsg_size(rt), GFP_ATOMIC);
@@ -4051,8 +4056,6 @@ static int __ip6_del_rt_siblings(struct fib6_info *rt, struct fib6_config *cfg)
 		 * and emit a replace or delete notification, respectively.
 		 */
 		info->skip_notify_kernel = 1;
-		fn = rcu_dereference_protected(rt->fib6_node,
-					    lockdep_is_held(&table->tb6_lock));
 		if (rcu_access_pointer(fn->leaf) == rt) {
 			struct fib6_info *last_sibling, *replace_rt;