diff --git a/app/models/merge_request.rb b/app/models/merge_request.rb
index cc5152df12fc860ae362c75cedf26c68ed77b364..43a4379082fb0cc3a8d4d80ef521e319e47895d1 100644
--- a/app/models/merge_request.rb
+++ b/app/models/merge_request.rb
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ def merge_request_diff
   after_save :keep_around_commit, unless: :importing?
   after_commit :ensure_metrics!, on: [:create, :update], unless: :importing?
   after_commit :expire_etag_cache, unless: :importing?
+  after_commit :schedule_cleanup_refs, on: :destroy
 
   # When this attribute is true some MR validation is ignored
   # It allows us to close or modify broken merge requests
diff --git a/spec/models/merge_request_spec.rb b/spec/models/merge_request_spec.rb
index 1dfd14c0993f9b193124c89cc1238d48ef390acb..374bd9a1fc5cd8a846071ab79e24c50bacc65d4d 100644
--- a/spec/models/merge_request_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/merge_request_spec.rb
@@ -4368,6 +4368,40 @@ def create_build(pipeline, coverage, name)
         BatchLoader::Executor.clear_current
       end.to change { project.open_merge_requests_count }.from(1).to(0)
     end
+
+    it 'deletes refs asynchronously' do
+      allow(subject.target_project.repository).to receive(:async_delete_refs)
+      subject.destroy!
+      expect(subject.target_project.repository).to have_received(:async_delete_refs)
+        .with(subject.ref_path, subject.merge_ref_path, subject.train_ref_path)
+    end
+
+    context 'when merge_request_delete_gitaly_refs_in_batches is disabled' do
+      before do
+        stub_feature_flags(merge_request_delete_gitaly_refs_in_batches: false)
+      end
+
+      it 'does schedule MergeRequests::CleanupRefWorker' do
+        allow(MergeRequests::CleanupRefWorker).to receive(:perform_async)
+        subject.destroy!
+        expect(MergeRequests::CleanupRefWorker).to have_received(:perform_async)
+          .with(subject.id, 'all')
+      end
+
+      context 'when merge_request_cleanup_ref_worker_async is disabled' do
+        before do
+          stub_feature_flags(merge_request_delete_gitaly_refs_in_batches: false)
+          stub_feature_flags(merge_request_cleanup_ref_worker_async: false)
+        end
+
+        it 'deletes all refs from the target project' do
+          allow(subject.target_project.repository).to receive(:delete_refs)
+          subject.destroy!
+          expect(subject.target_project.repository).to have_received(:delete_refs)
+            .with(subject.ref_path, subject.merge_ref_path, subject.train_ref_path)
+        end
+      end
+    end
   end
 
   it_behaves_like 'throttled touch' do