diff --git a/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd/0023-journal-file-do-not-trigger-assertion-on-removed-or-.patch b/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd/0023-journal-file-do-not-trigger-assertion-on-removed-or-.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..58413bb546
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd/0023-journal-file-do-not-trigger-assertion-on-removed-or-.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+From 112cbc37906fb97afe0ad04164262cf62d0af5e9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Yu Watanabe <watanabe.yu+github@gmail.com>
+Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2026 19:15:31 +0900
+Subject: [PATCH] journal-file: do not trigger assertion on removed or
+ corrupted journal file
+
+When a journal file is removed or corrupted, then the value `p`, which is
+read from Object.data.entry_offset, may be zero.
+
+Note, journal_file_move_to_object() checks the passed offset and return
+-EBADMSG if it is invalid.
+
+Fixes the issue reported at
+https://github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/40372#issuecomment-3762907261.
+
+Upstream-Status: Backport
+[https://github.com/systemd/systemd/commit/112cbc37906fb97afe0ad04164262cf62d0af5e9]
+---
+ src/libsystemd/sd-journal/journal-file.c | 7 +++----
+ 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
+
+diff --git a/src/libsystemd/sd-journal/journal-file.c b/src/libsystemd/sd-journal/journal-file.c
+index b3fa41ffbf..8dcd599bbd 100644
+--- a/src/libsystemd/sd-journal/journal-file.c
++++ b/src/libsystemd/sd-journal/journal-file.c
+@@ -3318,7 +3318,9 @@ use_extra:
+ 
+ static int test_object_offset(JournalFile *f, uint64_t p, uint64_t needle) {
+         assert(f);
+-        assert(p > 0);
++
++        if (p <= 0)
++                return -EBADMSG;
+ 
+         if (p == needle)
+                 return TEST_FOUND;
+@@ -3354,7 +3356,6 @@ static int test_object_seqnum(JournalFile *f, uint64_t p, uint64_t needle) {
+         int r;
+ 
+         assert(f);
+-        assert(p > 0);
+ 
+         r = journal_file_move_to_object(f, OBJECT_ENTRY, p, &o);
+         if (r < 0)
+@@ -3395,7 +3396,6 @@ static int test_object_realtime(JournalFile *f, uint64_t p, uint64_t needle) {
+         int r;
+ 
+         assert(f);
+-        assert(p > 0);
+ 
+         r = journal_file_move_to_object(f, OBJECT_ENTRY, p, &o);
+         if (r < 0)
+@@ -3436,7 +3436,6 @@ static int test_object_monotonic(JournalFile *f, uint64_t p, uint64_t needle) {
+         int r;
+ 
+         assert(f);
+-        assert(p > 0);
+ 
+         r = journal_file_move_to_object(f, OBJECT_ENTRY, p, &o);
+         if (r < 0)
+-- 
+2.43.0
+
diff --git a/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_255.21.bb b/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_255.21.bb
index 9c5f8af240..d510e63799 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_255.21.bb
+++ b/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_255.21.bb
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ SRC_URI += " \
            file://CVE-2026-40225-02.patch \
            file://CVE-2026-40226-01.patch \
            file://CVE-2026-40226-02.patch \
+           file://0023-journal-file-do-not-trigger-assertion-on-removed-or-.patch \
            "
 
 # patches needed by musl