diff --git a/src/v/raft/heartbeat_manager.cc b/src/v/raft/heartbeat_manager.cc
index 266bab861278..d398c416fe8e 100644
--- a/src/v/raft/heartbeat_manager.cc
+++ b/src/v/raft/heartbeat_manager.cc
@@ -102,7 +102,8 @@ static heartbeat_requests requests_for_range(
             if (rni == ptr->self()) {
                 auto hb_metadata = ptr->meta();
                 pending_beats[rni.id()].emplace_back(
-                  heartbeat_metadata{hb_metadata, rni},
+                  heartbeat_metadata{
+                    .meta = hb_metadata, .node_id = rni, .target_node_id = rni},
                   heartbeat_manager::follower_request_meta(
                     ptr, follower_req_seq(0), hb_metadata.prev_log_index, rni));
                 return;
@@ -284,16 +285,17 @@ void heartbeat_manager::process_reply(
                 vlog(hbeatlog.error, "cannot find consensus group:{}", g);
                 continue;
             }
+            auto consensus = *it;
 
-            (*it)->update_heartbeat_status(req_meta.follower_vnode, false);
+            consensus->update_heartbeat_status(req_meta.follower_vnode, false);
 
             // propagate error
-            (*it)->process_append_entries_reply(
+            consensus->process_append_entries_reply(
               n,
               result<append_entries_reply>(r.error()),
               req_meta.seq,
               req_meta.dirty_offset);
-            (*it)->get_probe().heartbeat_request_error();
+            consensus->get_probe().heartbeat_request_error();
         }
         return;
     }
@@ -306,15 +308,40 @@ void heartbeat_manager::process_reply(
               m.group);
             continue;
         }
+        auto consensus = *it;
         vlog(hbeatlog.trace, "Heartbeat reply from node: {} - {}", n, m);
-        auto meta = std::move(groups.find(m.group)->second);
-        (*it)->update_heartbeat_status(meta.follower_vnode, true);
 
-        (*it)->process_append_entries_reply(
+        if (unlikely(m.target_node_id != consensus->self())) {
+            vlog(
+              hbeatlog.warn,
+              "Heartbeat response addressed to different node: {}, current "
+              "node: {}, response: {}",
+              m.target_node_id,
+              consensus->self(),
+              m);
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        auto meta_it = groups.find(m.group);
+        if (unlikely(meta_it == groups.end())) {
+            vlog(
+              hbeatlog.warn,
+              "Unexpected heartbeat reply for group {} from node {}, skipping: "
+              "{}",
+              m.group,
+              n,
+              m);
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        consensus->update_heartbeat_status(
+          meta_it->second.follower_vnode, true);
+
+        consensus->process_append_entries_reply(
           n,
-          result<append_entries_reply>(std::move(m)),
-          meta.seq,
-          meta.dirty_offset);
+          result<append_entries_reply>(m),
+          meta_it->second.seq,
+          meta_it->second.dirty_offset);
     }
 }