diff --git a/services/backup/src/Reactors/server/PullBackupReactor.cpp b/services/backup/src/Reactors/server/PullBackupReactor.cpp
index 52faa2aef..4e4045ff1 100644
--- a/services/backup/src/Reactors/server/PullBackupReactor.cpp
+++ b/services/backup/src/Reactors/server/PullBackupReactor.cpp
@@ -1,201 +1,203 @@
 #include "PullBackupReactor.h"
 
 #include "DatabaseManager.h"
 
 #include <iostream>
 
 namespace comm {
 namespace network {
 namespace reactor {
 
 PullBackupReactor::PullBackupReactor(const backup::PullBackupRequest *request)
     : ServerWriteReactorBase<
           backup::PullBackupRequest,
           backup::PullBackupResponse>(request),
       dataChunks(std::make_shared<folly::MPMCQueue<std::string>>(100)) {
 }
 
 void PullBackupReactor::initializeGetReactor(const std::string &holder) {
   if (this->backupItem == nullptr) {
     throw std::runtime_error(
         "get reactor cannot be initialized when backup item is missing");
   }
   this->getReactor.reset(new reactor::BlobGetClientReactor(
       holder, this->dataChunks, &this->blobGetDoneCV));
   this->getReactor->request.set_holder(holder);
   this->blobClient.get(this->getReactor);
 }
 
 void PullBackupReactor::initialize() {
   // we make sure that the blob client's state is flushed to the main memory
   // as there may be multiple threads from the pool taking over here
   const std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(this->reactorStateMutex);
   if (this->request.userid().empty()) {
     throw std::runtime_error("no user id provided");
   }
   if (this->request.backupid().empty()) {
     throw std::runtime_error("no backup id provided");
   }
   this->backupItem = database::DatabaseManager::getInstance().findBackupItem(
       this->request.userid(), this->request.backupid());
   if (this->backupItem == nullptr) {
     throw std::runtime_error(
         "no backup found for provided parameters: user id [" +
         this->request.userid() + "], backup id [" + this->request.backupid() +
         "]");
   }
   this->logs = database::DatabaseManager::getInstance().findLogItemsForBackup(
       this->request.backupid());
 }
 
 std::unique_ptr<grpc::Status>
 PullBackupReactor::writeResponse(backup::PullBackupResponse *response) {
   // we make sure that the blob client's state is flushed to the main memory
   // as there may be multiple threads from the pool taking over here
   const std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(this->reactorStateMutex);
   if (this->state == State::COMPACTION) {
     response->set_backupid(this->backupItem->getBackupID());
     if (this->getReactor == nullptr) {
       this->initializeGetReactor(this->backupItem->getCompactionHolder());
     }
     std::string dataChunk;
     this->dataChunks->blockingRead(dataChunk);
     if (!dataChunk.empty()) {
       response->set_compactionchunk(dataChunk);
       return nullptr;
     }
     if (!this->dataChunks->isEmpty()) {
       throw std::runtime_error(
           "dangling data discovered after reading compaction");
     }
     if (!this->getReactor->getStatusHolder()->getStatus().ok()) {
       throw std::runtime_error(
           this->getReactor->getStatusHolder()->getStatus().error_message());
     }
     if (!this->backupItem->getAttachmentHolders().empty()) {
       this->state = State::COMPACTION_ATTACHMENTS;
     } else {
       this->state = State::LOGS;
     }
     return nullptr;
   }
   if (this->state == State::COMPACTION_ATTACHMENTS) {
     if (this->backupItem->getAttachmentHolders().empty()) {
       throw std::runtime_error("trying to send empty backup attachments");
     }
     response->set_attachmentholders(this->backupItem->getAttachmentHolders());
     this->state = State::LOGS;
     return nullptr;
   }
   if (this->state == State::LOGS) {
     // TODO make sure logs are received in correct order regardless their size
     if (this->logs.empty()) {
       // this means that there are no logs at all so we just terminate with
       // the compaction
       return std::make_unique<grpc::Status>(grpc::Status::OK);
     }
     if (this->currentLogIndex == this->logs.size()) {
       // we reached the end of the logs collection so we just want to
       // terminate either we terminate with an error if we have some dangling
       // data or with success if we don't
       if (!this->dataChunks->isEmpty()) {
         throw std::runtime_error("dangling data discovered after reading logs");
       }
       return std::make_unique<grpc::Status>(grpc::Status::OK);
     }
     if (this->currentLogIndex > this->logs.size()) {
       // we went out of the scope of the logs collection, this should never
       // happen and should be perceived as an error
       throw std::runtime_error("log index out of bound");
     }
     // this means that we're not reading anything between invocations of
     // writeResponse
     // it is only not null when we read data in chunks
     if (this->currentLog == nullptr) {
       this->currentLog = this->logs.at(this->currentLogIndex);
       if (this->currentLog->getPersistedInBlob()) {
         // if the item is stored in the blob, we initialize the get reactor
         // and proceed
         this->initializeGetReactor(this->currentLog->getValue());
       } else {
         // if the item is persisted in the database, we just take it, send the
         // data to the client and reset currentLog so the next invocation of
         // writeResponse will take another one from the collection
         response->set_logid(this->currentLog->getLogID());
         response->set_logchunk(this->currentLog->getValue());
         if (!this->currentLog->getAttachmentHolders().empty()) {
           this->state = State::LOG_ATTACHMENTS;
         } else {
           this->nextLog();
         }
         return nullptr;
       }
     }
     response->set_logid(this->currentLog->getLogID());
     // we want to read the chunks from the blob through the get client until
     // we get an empty chunk - a sign of "end of chunks"
     std::string dataChunk;
     this->dataChunks->blockingRead(dataChunk);
     if (!this->getReactor->getStatusHolder()->getStatus().ok()) {
       throw std::runtime_error(
           this->getReactor->getStatusHolder()->getStatus().error_message());
     }
     // if we get an empty chunk, we reset the currentLog so we can read the
     // next one from the logs collection.
     //  If there's data inside, we write it to the client and proceed.
     if (dataChunk.empty()) {
       if (!this->currentLog->getAttachmentHolders().empty()) {
         this->state = State::LOG_ATTACHMENTS;
       } else {
         this->nextLog();
       }
       return nullptr;
     } else {
       response->set_logchunk(dataChunk);
     }
     return nullptr;
   }
   if (this->state == State::LOG_ATTACHMENTS) {
     if (this->currentLog == nullptr) {
       throw std::runtime_error(
           "trying to send attachments of a non-existing log item");
     }
     if (this->currentLog->getAttachmentHolders().empty()) {
       throw std::runtime_error("trying to send empty attachments");
     }
     response->set_attachmentholders(this->currentLog->getAttachmentHolders());
     this->nextLog();
     return nullptr;
   }
 
   throw std::runtime_error("unhandled state");
 }
 
 void PullBackupReactor::nextLog() {
   ++this->currentLogIndex;
   this->currentLog = nullptr;
   this->state = State::LOGS;
 }
 
 void PullBackupReactor::terminateCallback() {
   const std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(this->reactorStateMutex);
   std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lockGet(this->blobGetDoneCVMutex);
-  if (this->getReactor->getStatusHolder()->state != ReactorState::DONE) {
-    this->blobGetDoneCV.wait(lockGet);
-  }
-  if (this->getReactor->getStatusHolder()->state != ReactorState::DONE) {
-    throw std::runtime_error("get reactor has not been terminated properly");
-  }
-  if (!this->getReactor->getStatusHolder()->getStatus().ok()) {
-    throw std::runtime_error(
-        this->getReactor->getStatusHolder()->getStatus().error_message());
+  if (this->getReactor != nullptr) {
+    if (this->getReactor->getStatusHolder()->state != ReactorState::DONE) {
+      this->blobGetDoneCV.wait(lockGet);
+    }
+    if (this->getReactor->getStatusHolder()->state != ReactorState::DONE) {
+      throw std::runtime_error("get reactor has not been terminated properly");
+    }
+    if (!this->getReactor->getStatusHolder()->getStatus().ok()) {
+      throw std::runtime_error(
+          this->getReactor->getStatusHolder()->getStatus().error_message());
+    }
   }
   if (!this->getStatusHolder()->getStatus().ok()) {
     throw std::runtime_error(
         this->getStatusHolder()->getStatus().error_message());
   }
 }
 
 } // namespace reactor
 } // namespace network
 } // namespace comm