diff --git a/src/core/devices/ovs/nm-device-ovs-port.c b/src/core/devices/ovs/nm-device-ovs-port.c
index b0a32b4771..4419cfe96f 100644
--- a/src/core/devices/ovs/nm-device-ovs-port.c
+++ b/src/core/devices/ovs/nm-device-ovs-port.c
@@ -146,18 +146,23 @@ release_slave(NMDevice *device, NMDevice *slave, gboolean configure)
 {
     NMDeviceOvsPort *self = NM_DEVICE_OVS_PORT(device);
 
+    _LOGI(LOGD_DEVICE, "releasing ovs interface %s", nm_device_get_ip_iface(slave));
+
+    /* Even if the an interface's device has gone away (e.g. externally
+     * removed and thus we're called with configure=FALSE), we still need
+     * to make sure its OVSDB entry is gone.
+     */
+    nm_ovsdb_del_interface(nm_ovsdb_get(),
+                           nm_device_get_iface(slave),
+                           del_iface_cb,
+                           g_object_ref(slave));
+
     if (configure) {
-        _LOGI(LOGD_DEVICE, "releasing ovs interface %s", nm_device_get_ip_iface(slave));
-        nm_ovsdb_del_interface(nm_ovsdb_get(),
-                               nm_device_get_iface(slave),
-                               del_iface_cb,
-                               g_object_ref(slave));
         /* Open VSwitch is going to delete this one. We must ignore what happens
          * next with the interface. */
         if (NM_IS_DEVICE_OVS_INTERFACE(slave))
             nm_device_update_from_platform_link(slave, NULL);
-    } else
-        _LOGI(LOGD_DEVICE, "ovs interface %s was released", nm_device_get_ip_iface(slave));
+    }
 }
 
 /*****************************************************************************/