diff --git a/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/common.go b/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/common.go
index 79f97035cbf..268b713c068 100644
--- a/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/common.go
+++ b/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/common.go
@@ -318,9 +318,13 @@ func isUnitExists(err error) bool {
 	return isDbusError(err, "org.freedesktop.systemd1.UnitExists")
 }
 
-func startUnit(dbusConnection *systemdDbus.Conn, unitName string, properties []systemdDbus.Property) error {
+func startUnit(cm *dbusConnManager, unitName string, properties []systemdDbus.Property) error {
 	statusChan := make(chan string, 1)
-	if _, err := dbusConnection.StartTransientUnit(unitName, "replace", properties, statusChan); err == nil {
+	err := cm.retryOnDisconnect(func(c *systemdDbus.Conn) error {
+		_, err := c.StartTransientUnit(unitName, "replace", properties, statusChan)
+		return err
+	})
+	if err == nil {
 		timeout := time.NewTimer(30 * time.Second)
 		defer timeout.Stop()
 
@@ -329,11 +333,11 @@ func startUnit(dbusConnection *systemdDbus.Conn, unitName string, properties []s
 			close(statusChan)
 			// Please refer to https://godoc.org/github.com/coreos/go-systemd/dbus#Conn.StartUnit
 			if s != "done" {
-				dbusConnection.ResetFailedUnit(unitName)
+				resetFailedUnit(cm, unitName)
 				return errors.Errorf("error creating systemd unit `%s`: got `%s`", unitName, s)
 			}
 		case <-timeout.C:
-			dbusConnection.ResetFailedUnit(unitName)
+			resetFailedUnit(cm, unitName)
 			return errors.New("Timeout waiting for systemd to create " + unitName)
 		}
 	} else if !isUnitExists(err) {
@@ -343,9 +347,13 @@ func startUnit(dbusConnection *systemdDbus.Conn, unitName string, properties []s
 	return nil
 }
 
-func stopUnit(dbusConnection *systemdDbus.Conn, unitName string) error {
+func stopUnit(cm *dbusConnManager, unitName string) error {
 	statusChan := make(chan string, 1)
-	if _, err := dbusConnection.StopUnit(unitName, "replace", statusChan); err == nil {
+	err := cm.retryOnDisconnect(func(c *systemdDbus.Conn) error {
+		_, err := c.StopUnit(unitName, "replace", statusChan)
+		return err
+	})
+	if err == nil {
 		select {
 		case s := <-statusChan:
 			close(statusChan)
@@ -360,10 +368,30 @@ func stopUnit(dbusConnection *systemdDbus.Conn, unitName string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func systemdVersion(conn *systemdDbus.Conn) int {
+func resetFailedUnit(cm *dbusConnManager, name string) {
+	err := cm.retryOnDisconnect(func(c *systemdDbus.Conn) error {
+		return c.ResetFailedUnit(name)
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		logrus.Warnf("unable to reset failed unit: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func setUnitProperties(cm *dbusConnManager, name string, properties ...systemdDbus.Property) error {
+	return cm.retryOnDisconnect(func(c *systemdDbus.Conn) error {
+		return c.SetUnitProperties(name, true, properties...)
+	})
+}
+
+func systemdVersion(cm *dbusConnManager) int {
 	versionOnce.Do(func() {
 		version = -1
-		verStr, err := conn.GetManagerProperty("Version")
+		var verStr string
+		err := cm.retryOnDisconnect(func(c *systemdDbus.Conn) error {
+			var err error
+			verStr, err = c.GetManagerProperty("Version")
+			return err
+		})
 		if err == nil {
 			version, err = systemdVersionAtoi(verStr)
 		}
@@ -391,10 +419,10 @@ func systemdVersionAtoi(verStr string) (int, error) {
 	return ver, errors.Wrapf(err, "can't parse version %s", verStr)
 }
 
-func addCpuQuota(conn *systemdDbus.Conn, properties *[]systemdDbus.Property, quota int64, period uint64) {
+func addCpuQuota(cm *dbusConnManager, properties *[]systemdDbus.Property, quota int64, period uint64) {
 	if period != 0 {
 		// systemd only supports CPUQuotaPeriodUSec since v242
-		sdVer := systemdVersion(conn)
+		sdVer := systemdVersion(cm)
 		if sdVer >= 242 {
 			*properties = append(*properties,
 				newProp("CPUQuotaPeriodUSec", period))
@@ -425,13 +453,13 @@ func addCpuQuota(conn *systemdDbus.Conn, properties *[]systemdDbus.Property, quo
 	}
 }
 
-func addCpuset(conn *systemdDbus.Conn, props *[]systemdDbus.Property, cpus, mems string) error {
+func addCpuset(cm *dbusConnManager, props *[]systemdDbus.Property, cpus, mems string) error {
 	if cpus == "" && mems == "" {
 		return nil
 	}
 
 	// systemd only supports AllowedCPUs/AllowedMemoryNodes since v244
-	sdVer := systemdVersion(conn)
+	sdVer := systemdVersion(cm)
 	if sdVer < 244 {
 		logrus.Debugf("systemd v%d is too old to support AllowedCPUs/AllowedMemoryNodes"+
 			" (settings will still be applied to cgroupfs)", sdVer)
diff --git a/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/dbus.go b/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/dbus.go
index 7184bcd4d00..deca16b005b 100644
--- a/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/dbus.go
+++ b/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/dbus.go
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import (
 
 	systemdDbus "github.com/coreos/go-systemd/v22/dbus"
 	dbus "github.com/godbus/dbus/v5"
-	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
 type dbusConnManager struct {
@@ -73,17 +72,19 @@ func (d *dbusConnManager) resetConnection(conn *systemdDbus.Conn) {
 
 var errDbusConnClosed = dbus.ErrClosed.Error()
 
-// checkAndReconnect checks if the connection is disconnected,
-// and tries reconnect if it is.
-func (d *dbusConnManager) checkAndReconnect(conn *systemdDbus.Conn, err error) {
-	if !isDbusError(err, errDbusConnClosed) {
-		return
-	}
-	d.resetConnection(conn)
-
-	// Try to reconnect
-	_, err = d.getConnection()
-	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Warnf("Dbus disconnected and failed to reconnect: %s", err)
+// retryOnDisconnect calls op, and if the error it returns is about closed dbus
+// connection, the connection is re-established and the op is retried. This helps
+// with the situation when dbus is restarted and we have a stale connection.
+func (d *dbusConnManager) retryOnDisconnect(op func(*systemdDbus.Conn) error) error {
+	for {
+		conn, err := d.getConnection()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		err = op(conn)
+		if !isDbusError(err, errDbusConnClosed) {
+			return err
+		}
+		d.resetConnection(conn)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/v1.go b/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/v1.go
index b52b13e2faf..842fee207db 100644
--- a/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/v1.go
+++ b/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/v1.go
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ var legacySubsystems = []subsystem{
 	&fs.NameGroup{GroupName: "name=systemd"},
 }
 
-func genV1ResourcesProperties(c *configs.Cgroup, conn *systemdDbus.Conn) ([]systemdDbus.Property, error) {
+func genV1ResourcesProperties(c *configs.Cgroup, cm *dbusConnManager) ([]systemdDbus.Property, error) {
 	var properties []systemdDbus.Property
 	r := c.Resources
 
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ func genV1ResourcesProperties(c *configs.Cgroup, conn *systemdDbus.Conn) ([]syst
 			newProp("CPUShares", r.CpuShares))
 	}
 
-	addCpuQuota(conn, &properties, r.CpuQuota, r.CpuPeriod)
+	addCpuQuota(cm, &properties, r.CpuQuota, r.CpuPeriod)
 
 	if r.BlkioWeight != 0 {
 		properties = append(properties,
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ func genV1ResourcesProperties(c *configs.Cgroup, conn *systemdDbus.Conn) ([]syst
 			newProp("TasksMax", uint64(r.PidsLimit)))
 	}
 
-	err = addCpuset(conn, &properties, r.CpusetCpus, r.CpusetMems)
+	err = addCpuset(cm, &properties, r.CpusetCpus, r.CpusetMems)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -166,14 +166,9 @@ func (m *legacyManager) Apply(pid int) error {
 	properties = append(properties,
 		newProp("DefaultDependencies", false))
 
-	dbusConnection, err := m.dbus.getConnection()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
 	properties = append(properties, c.SystemdProps...)
 
-	if err := startUnit(dbusConnection, unitName, properties); err != nil {
-		m.dbus.checkAndReconnect(dbusConnection, err)
+	if err := startUnit(m.dbus, unitName, properties); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -211,13 +206,8 @@ func (m *legacyManager) Destroy() error {
 	m.mu.Lock()
 	defer m.mu.Unlock()
 
-	dbusConnection, err := m.dbus.getConnection()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	unitName := getUnitName(m.cgroups)
+	stopErr := stopUnit(m.dbus, getUnitName(m.cgroups))
 
-	stopErr := stopUnit(dbusConnection, unitName)
 	// Both on success and on error, cleanup all the cgroups we are aware of.
 	// Some of them were created directly by Apply() and are not managed by systemd.
 	if err := cgroups.RemovePaths(m.paths); err != nil {
@@ -344,11 +334,7 @@ func (m *legacyManager) Set(container *configs.Config) error {
 	if container.Cgroups.Resources.Unified != nil {
 		return cgroups.ErrV1NoUnified
 	}
-	dbusConnection, err := m.dbus.getConnection()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	properties, err := genV1ResourcesProperties(container.Cgroups, dbusConnection)
+	properties, err := genV1ResourcesProperties(container.Cgroups, m.dbus)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -376,8 +362,7 @@ func (m *legacyManager) Set(container *configs.Config) error {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if err := dbusConnection.SetUnitProperties(getUnitName(container.Cgroups), true, properties...); err != nil {
-		m.dbus.checkAndReconnect(dbusConnection, err)
+	if err := setUnitProperties(m.dbus, getUnitName(container.Cgroups), properties...); err != nil {
 		_ = m.Freeze(targetFreezerState)
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/v2.go b/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/v2.go
index 5c973d577b3..7a59181bc62 100644
--- a/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/v2.go
+++ b/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/v2.go
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ func NewUnifiedManager(config *configs.Cgroup, path string, rootless bool) cgrou
 // For the list of keys, see https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/cgroup-v2.txt
 //
 // For the list of systemd unit properties, see systemd.resource-control(5).
-func unifiedResToSystemdProps(conn *systemdDbus.Conn, res map[string]string) (props []systemdDbus.Property, _ error) {
+func unifiedResToSystemdProps(cm *dbusConnManager, res map[string]string) (props []systemdDbus.Property, _ error) {
 	var err error
 
 	for k, v := range res {
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ func unifiedResToSystemdProps(conn *systemdDbus.Conn, res map[string]string) (pr
 					return nil, fmt.Errorf("unified resource %q quota value conversion error: %w", k, err)
 				}
 			}
-			addCpuQuota(conn, &props, quota, period)
+			addCpuQuota(cm, &props, quota, period)
 
 		case "cpu.weight":
 			num, err := strconv.ParseUint(v, 10, 64)
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ func unifiedResToSystemdProps(conn *systemdDbus.Conn, res map[string]string) (pr
 				"cpuset.mems": "AllowedMemoryNodes",
 			}
 			// systemd only supports these properties since v244
-			sdVer := systemdVersion(conn)
+			sdVer := systemdVersion(cm)
 			if sdVer >= 244 {
 				props = append(props,
 					newProp(m[k], bits))
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ func unifiedResToSystemdProps(conn *systemdDbus.Conn, res map[string]string) (pr
 	return props, nil
 }
 
-func genV2ResourcesProperties(c *configs.Cgroup, conn *systemdDbus.Conn) ([]systemdDbus.Property, error) {
+func genV2ResourcesProperties(c *configs.Cgroup, cm *dbusConnManager) ([]systemdDbus.Property, error) {
 	var properties []systemdDbus.Property
 	r := c.Resources
 
@@ -202,14 +202,14 @@ func genV2ResourcesProperties(c *configs.Cgroup, conn *systemdDbus.Conn) ([]syst
 			newProp("CPUWeight", r.CpuWeight))
 	}
 
-	addCpuQuota(conn, &properties, r.CpuQuota, r.CpuPeriod)
+	addCpuQuota(cm, &properties, r.CpuQuota, r.CpuPeriod)
 
 	if r.PidsLimit > 0 || r.PidsLimit == -1 {
 		properties = append(properties,
 			newProp("TasksMax", uint64(r.PidsLimit)))
 	}
 
-	err = addCpuset(conn, &properties, r.CpusetCpus, r.CpusetMems)
+	err = addCpuset(cm, &properties, r.CpusetCpus, r.CpusetMems)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ func genV2ResourcesProperties(c *configs.Cgroup, conn *systemdDbus.Conn) ([]syst
 
 	// convert Resources.Unified map to systemd properties
 	if r.Unified != nil {
-		unifiedProps, err := unifiedResToSystemdProps(conn, r.Unified)
+		unifiedProps, err := unifiedResToSystemdProps(cm, r.Unified)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
@@ -281,18 +281,13 @@ func (m *unifiedManager) Apply(pid int) error {
 	properties = append(properties,
 		newProp("DefaultDependencies", false))
 
-	dbusConnection, err := m.dbus.getConnection()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
 	properties = append(properties, c.SystemdProps...)
 
-	if err := startUnit(dbusConnection, unitName, properties); err != nil {
-		m.dbus.checkAndReconnect(dbusConnection, err)
+	if err := startUnit(m.dbus, unitName, properties); err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrapf(err, "error while starting unit %q with properties %+v", unitName, properties)
 	}
 
-	if err = m.initPath(); err != nil {
+	if err := m.initPath(); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	if err := fs2.CreateCgroupPath(m.path, m.cgroups); err != nil {
@@ -308,17 +303,13 @@ func (m *unifiedManager) Destroy() error {
 	m.mu.Lock()
 	defer m.mu.Unlock()
 
-	dbusConnection, err := m.dbus.getConnection()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
 	unitName := getUnitName(m.cgroups)
-	if err := stopUnit(dbusConnection, unitName); err != nil {
+	if err := stopUnit(m.dbus, unitName); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
 	// XXX this is probably not needed, systemd should handle it
-	err = os.Remove(m.path)
+	err := os.Remove(m.path)
 	if err != nil && !os.IsNotExist(err) {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -430,11 +421,7 @@ func (m *unifiedManager) GetStats() (*cgroups.Stats, error) {
 }
 
 func (m *unifiedManager) Set(container *configs.Config) error {
-	dbusConnection, err := m.dbus.getConnection()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	properties, err := genV2ResourcesProperties(m.cgroups, dbusConnection)
+	properties, err := genV2ResourcesProperties(m.cgroups, m.dbus)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -462,8 +449,7 @@ func (m *unifiedManager) Set(container *configs.Config) error {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if err := dbusConnection.SetUnitProperties(getUnitName(m.cgroups), true, properties...); err != nil {
-		m.dbus.checkAndReconnect(dbusConnection, err)
+	if err := setUnitProperties(m.dbus, getUnitName(m.cgroups), properties...); err != nil {
 		_ = m.Freeze(targetFreezerState)
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "error while setting unit properties")
 	}