diff --git a/tests/integration/test_multiple_disks/test.py b/tests/integration/test_multiple_disks/test.py
index 5561d63840b..bc7ac6683af 100644
--- a/tests/integration/test_multiple_disks/test.py
+++ b/tests/integration/test_multiple_disks/test.py
@@ -818,9 +818,10 @@ def test_start_stop_moves(start_cluster, name, engine):
         node1.query(f"SYSTEM STOP MOVES {name}")
         node1.query(f"SYSTEM STOP MERGES {name}")
 
+        first_part = None
         for i in range(5):
             data = []  # 5MB in total
-            for i in range(5):
+            for _ in range(5):
                 data.append(get_random_string(1024 * 1024))  # 1MB row
             # jbod size is 40MB, so lets insert 5MB batch 7 times
             node1.query_with_retry(
@@ -829,7 +830,13 @@ def test_start_stop_moves(start_cluster, name, engine):
                 )
             )
 
-        first_part = get_oldest_part(node1, name)
+            # we cannot rely simply on modification time of part because it can be changed
+            # by different background operations so we explicitly check after the first
+            # part is inserted
+            if i == 0:
+                first_part = get_oldest_part(node1, name)
+
+        assert first_part is not None
 
         used_disks = get_used_disks_for_table(node1, name)