diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/blobstore/BlobStoreRepository.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/blobstore/BlobStoreRepository.java
index 34ec524ec339b..7f6ac6e16344a 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/blobstore/BlobStoreRepository.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/repositories/blobstore/BlobStoreRepository.java
@@ -1115,7 +1115,18 @@ public void snapshotShard(Store store, MapperService mapperService, SnapshotId s
                     protected void doRun() {
                         try {
                             if (alreadyFailed.get() == false) {
-                                snapshotFile(snapshotFileInfo, indexId, shardId, snapshotId, snapshotStatus, store);
+                                if (store.tryIncRef()) {
+                                    try {
+                                        snapshotFile(snapshotFileInfo, indexId, shardId, snapshotId, snapshotStatus, store);
+                                    } finally {
+                                        store.decRef();
+                                    }
+                                } else if (snapshotStatus.isAborted()) {
+                                    throw new IndexShardSnapshotFailedException(shardId, "Aborted");
+                                } else {
+                                    assert false : "Store was closed before aborting the snapshot";
+                                    throw new IllegalStateException("Store is closed already");
+                                }
                             }
                             filesListener.onResponse(null);
                         } catch (IOException e) {
@@ -1316,7 +1327,6 @@ private void snapshotFile(BlobStoreIndexShardSnapshot.FileInfo fileInfo, IndexId
                               IndexShardSnapshotStatus snapshotStatus, Store store) throws IOException {
         final BlobContainer shardContainer = shardContainer(indexId, shardId);
         final String file = fileInfo.physicalName();
-        store.incRef();
         try (IndexInput indexInput = store.openVerifyingInput(file, IOContext.READONCE, fileInfo.metadata())) {
             for (int i = 0; i < fileInfo.numberOfParts(); i++) {
                 final long partBytes = fileInfo.partBytes(i);
@@ -1356,8 +1366,6 @@ private void checkAborted() {
             failStoreIfCorrupted(store, t);
             snapshotStatus.addProcessedFile(0);
             throw t;
-        } finally {
-            store.decRef();
         }
     }