diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_container_linux.go b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_container_linux.go
index 132ff43cfe7..b2920d82a31 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_container_linux.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_container_linux.go
@@ -180,6 +180,11 @@ func (m *kubeGenericRuntimeManager) configureContainerSwapResources(lcr *runtime
 		return
 	}
 
+	if kubelettypes.IsCriticalPod(pod) {
+		swapConfigurationHelper.ConfigureNoSwap(lcr)
+		return
+	}
+
 	// NOTE(ehashman): Behavior is defined in the opencontainers runtime spec:
 	// https://github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/blob/1c3f411f041711bbeecf35ff7e93461ea6789220/config-linux.md#memory
 	switch m.memorySwapBehavior {
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_container_linux_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_container_linux_test.go
index 0530c42435b..103c4a561d9 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_container_linux_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kuberuntime/kuberuntime_container_linux_test.go
@@ -40,8 +40,10 @@ import (
 	utilfeature "k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/util/feature"
 	featuregatetesting "k8s.io/component-base/featuregate/testing"
 	runtimeapi "k8s.io/cri-api/pkg/apis/runtime/v1"
+	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/apis/scheduling"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/features"
 	kubecontainer "k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/kubelet/container"
+	"k8s.io/utils/ptr"
 )
 
 func makeExpectedConfig(m *kubeGenericRuntimeManager, pod *v1.Pod, containerIndex int, enforceMemoryQoS bool) *runtimeapi.ContainerConfig {
@@ -1031,6 +1033,7 @@ func TestGenerateLinuxContainerResourcesWithSwap(t *testing.T) {
 		swapBehavior                string
 		addContainerWithoutRequests bool
 		addGuaranteedContainer      bool
+		isCriticalPod               bool
 	}{
 		// With cgroup v1
 		{
@@ -1208,6 +1211,16 @@ func TestGenerateLinuxContainerResourcesWithSwap(t *testing.T) {
 			addContainerWithoutRequests: true,
 			addGuaranteedContainer:      false,
 		},
+
+		// When the pod is considered critical, disallow swap access
+		{
+			name:                       "Best-effort QoS, cgroups v2, LimitedSwap, critical pod",
+			cgroupVersion:              cgroupV2,
+			qosClass:                   v1.PodQOSBurstable,
+			nodeSwapFeatureGateEnabled: true,
+			swapBehavior:               types.LimitedSwap,
+			isCriticalPod:              true,
+		},
 	} {
 		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			setCgroupVersionDuringTest(tc.cgroupVersion)
@@ -1244,6 +1257,11 @@ func TestGenerateLinuxContainerResourcesWithSwap(t *testing.T) {
 			pod.Spec.Containers[0].Resources = resourceReqsC1
 			pod.Spec.Containers[1].Resources = resourceReqsC2
 
+			if tc.isCriticalPod {
+				pod.Spec.Priority = ptr.To(scheduling.SystemCriticalPriority)
+				assert.True(t, types.IsCriticalPod(pod), "pod is expected to be critical")
+			}
+
 			resourcesC1 := m.generateLinuxContainerResources(pod, &pod.Spec.Containers[0], false)
 			resourcesC2 := m.generateLinuxContainerResources(pod, &pod.Spec.Containers[1], false)
 
@@ -1252,7 +1270,7 @@ func TestGenerateLinuxContainerResourcesWithSwap(t *testing.T) {
 				return
 			}
 
-			if !tc.nodeSwapFeatureGateEnabled || tc.cgroupVersion == cgroupV1 || (tc.swapBehavior == types.LimitedSwap && tc.qosClass != v1.PodQOSBurstable) {
+			if tc.isCriticalPod || !tc.nodeSwapFeatureGateEnabled || tc.cgroupVersion == cgroupV1 || (tc.swapBehavior == types.LimitedSwap && tc.qosClass != v1.PodQOSBurstable) {
 				expectNoSwap(tc.cgroupVersion, resourcesC1, resourcesC2)
 				return
 			}
diff --git a/test/e2e_node/swap_test.go b/test/e2e_node/swap_test.go
index 7dccb62ce70..3a48a4eeffe 100644
--- a/test/e2e_node/swap_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e_node/swap_test.go
@@ -84,6 +84,19 @@ var _ = SIGDescribe("Swap", "[LinuxOnly]", nodefeature.Swap, framework.WithSeria
 			ginkgo.Entry("QOS Burstable with memory request equals to limit", v1.PodQOSBurstable, true),
 			ginkgo.Entry("QOS Guaranteed", v1.PodQOSGuaranteed, false),
 		)
+
+		ginkgo.It("with a critical pod - should avoid swap", func() {
+			ginkgo.By("Creating a critical pod")
+			const memoryRequestEqualLimit = false
+			pod := getSwapTestPod(f, v1.PodQOSBurstable, memoryRequestEqualLimit)
+			pod.Spec.PriorityClassName = "system-node-critical"
+
+			pod = runPodAndWaitUntilScheduled(f, pod)
+			gomega.Expect(types.IsCriticalPod(pod)).To(gomega.BeTrueBecause("pod should be critical"))
+
+			ginkgo.By("expecting pod to not have swap access")
+			expectNoSwap(f, pod)
+		})
 	})
 
 	f.Context(framework.WithSerial(), func() {