diff --git a/src/net.cpp b/src/net.cpp
index c111a411ae13..9d0d3b735ec6 100644
--- a/src/net.cpp
+++ b/src/net.cpp
@@ -1240,70 +1240,74 @@ void CConnman::AcceptConnection(const ListenSocket& hListenSocket) {
     }
 }
 
-void CConnman::ThreadSocketHandler()
+void CConnman::DisconnectAndDeleteNodes(bool fDisconectAll)
 {
-    unsigned int nPrevNodeCount = 0;
-    while (!interruptNet)
+    //
+    // Disconnect nodes
+    //
     {
-        //
-        // Disconnect nodes
-        //
+        LOCK(cs_vNodes);
+        std::vector<CNode*> vNodesCopy = vNodes;
+        for (CNode* pnode : vNodesCopy)
         {
-            LOCK(cs_vNodes);
-            // Disconnect unused nodes
-            std::vector<CNode*> vNodesCopy = vNodes;
-            for (CNode* pnode : vNodesCopy)
+            if (pnode->fDisconnect || fDisconectAll)
             {
-                if (pnode->fDisconnect)
-                {
-                    if (fLogIPs) {
-                        LogPrintf("ThreadSocketHandler -- removing node: peer=%d addr=%s nRefCount=%d fInbound=%d fMasternode=%d\n",
-                              pnode->GetId(), pnode->addr.ToString(), pnode->GetRefCount(), pnode->fInbound, pnode->fMasternode);
-                    } else {
-                        LogPrintf("ThreadSocketHandler -- removing node: peer=%d nRefCount=%d fInbound=%d fMasternode=%d\n",
-                              pnode->GetId(), pnode->GetRefCount(), pnode->fInbound, pnode->fMasternode);
-                    }
+                if (fLogIPs) {
+                    LogPrintf("%s -- removing node: peer=%d addr=%s nRefCount=%d fInbound=%d fMasternode=%d\n",
+                          __func__, pnode->GetId(), pnode->addr.ToString(), pnode->GetRefCount(), pnode->fInbound, pnode->fMasternode);
+                } else {
+                    LogPrintf("%s -- removing node: peer=%d nRefCount=%d fInbound=%d fMasternode=%d\n",
+                          __func__, pnode->GetId(), pnode->GetRefCount(), pnode->fInbound, pnode->fMasternode);
+                }
 
-                    // remove from vNodes
-                    vNodes.erase(remove(vNodes.begin(), vNodes.end(), pnode), vNodes.end());
+                // remove from vNodes
+                vNodes.erase(remove(vNodes.begin(), vNodes.end(), pnode), vNodes.end());
 
-                    // release outbound grant (if any)
-                    pnode->grantOutbound.Release();
-                    pnode->grantMasternodeOutbound.Release();
+                // release outbound grant (if any)
+                pnode->grantOutbound.Release();
+                pnode->grantMasternodeOutbound.Release();
 
-                    // close socket and cleanup
-                    pnode->CloseSocketDisconnect();
+                // close socket and cleanup
+                pnode->CloseSocketDisconnect();
 
-                    // hold in disconnected pool until all refs are released
-                    pnode->Release();
-                    vNodesDisconnected.push_back(pnode);
-                }
+                // hold in disconnected pool until all refs are released
+                pnode->Release();
+                vNodesDisconnected.push_back(pnode);
             }
         }
-        {
-            // Delete disconnected nodes
-            std::list<CNode*> vNodesDisconnectedCopy = vNodesDisconnected;
-            for (CNode* pnode : vNodesDisconnectedCopy)
+    }
+    // Delete disconnected nodes
+    std::list<CNode*> vNodesDisconnectedCopy = vNodesDisconnected;
+    for (CNode* pnode : vNodesDisconnectedCopy)
+    {
+        // wait until threads are done using it
+        if (pnode->GetRefCount() <= 0) {
+            bool fDelete = false;
             {
-                // wait until threads are done using it
-                if (pnode->GetRefCount() <= 0) {
-                    bool fDelete = false;
-                    {
-                        TRY_LOCK(pnode->cs_inventory, lockInv);
-                        if (lockInv) {
-                            TRY_LOCK(pnode->cs_vSend, lockSend);
-                            if (lockSend) {
-                                fDelete = true;
-                            }
-                        }
-                    }
-                    if (fDelete) {
-                        vNodesDisconnected.remove(pnode);
-                        DeleteNode(pnode);
+                TRY_LOCK(pnode->cs_inventory, lockInv);
+                if (lockInv) {
+                    TRY_LOCK(pnode->cs_vSend, lockSend);
+                    if (lockSend) {
+                        fDelete = true;
                     }
                 }
             }
+            if (fDelete) {
+                vNodesDisconnected.remove(pnode);
+                DeleteNode(pnode);
+            }
         }
+    }
+}
+
+void CConnman::ThreadSocketHandler()
+{
+    unsigned int nPrevNodeCount = 0;
+    while (!interruptNet)
+    {
+        // Disconnect unused nodes
+        DisconnectAndDeleteNodes(false);
+
         size_t vNodesSize;
         {
             LOCK(cs_vNodes);
@@ -2735,21 +2739,24 @@ void CConnman::Stop()
         fAddressesInitialized = false;
     }
 
+    // Try to disconnect and delete all nodes
+    // TODO: it looks like smth is holding nodes sometimes not releasing references properly,
+    // so we only try a few times here (cause otherwise we might end up waiting forever).
+    for (int i = 0; i < 10; ++i) {
+        DisconnectAndDeleteNodes(true);
+        if (vNodesDisconnected.empty()) {
+            // All nodes were disconected and deleted, no need to loop any further
+            break;
+        }
+        MilliSleep(100);
+    }
+
     // Close sockets
-    for (CNode* pnode : vNodes)
-        pnode->CloseSocketDisconnect();
     for (ListenSocket& hListenSocket : vhListenSocket)
         if (hListenSocket.socket != INVALID_SOCKET)
             if (!CloseSocket(hListenSocket.socket))
                 LogPrintf("CloseSocket(hListenSocket) failed with error %s\n", NetworkErrorString(WSAGetLastError()));
 
-    // clean up some globals (to help leak detection)
-    for (CNode *pnode : vNodes) {
-        DeleteNode(pnode);
-    }
-    for (CNode *pnode : vNodesDisconnected) {
-        DeleteNode(pnode);
-    }
     vNodes.clear();
     vNodesDisconnected.clear();
     vhListenSocket.clear();
diff --git a/src/net.h b/src/net.h
index 35dd40738b36..66d5bb518696 100644
--- a/src/net.h
+++ b/src/net.h
@@ -470,6 +470,7 @@ class CConnman
     void ThreadOpenConnections(std::vector<std::string> connect);
     void ThreadMessageHandler();
     void AcceptConnection(const ListenSocket& hListenSocket);
+    void DisconnectAndDeleteNodes(bool fDisconectAll);
     void ThreadSocketHandler();
     void ThreadDNSAddressSeed();
     void ThreadOpenMasternodeConnections();