diff --git a/libcontainer/container.go b/libcontainer/container.go
index c4aa99ecf5f..1d1bbf5eae2 100644
--- a/libcontainer/container.go
+++ b/libcontainer/container.go
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ const (
 	Paused
 	// Stopped is the status that denotes the container does not have a created or running process.
 	Stopped
+	// Creating is the status that denotes the container is creating.
+	Creating
 )
 
 func (s Status) String() string {
@@ -34,6 +36,8 @@ func (s Status) String() string {
 		return "paused"
 	case Stopped:
 		return "stopped"
+	case Creating:
+		return "creating"
 	default:
 		return "unknown"
 	}
diff --git a/libcontainer/container_linux.go b/libcontainer/container_linux.go
index 2dc2b86eb41..60695c28b03 100644
--- a/libcontainer/container_linux.go
+++ b/libcontainer/container_linux.go
@@ -628,7 +628,6 @@ func (c *Container) newInitProcess(p *Process, cmd *exec.Cmd, comm *processComm)
 		},
 		intelRdtManager: c.intelRdtManager,
 	}
-	c.initProcess = init
 	return init, nil
 }
 
@@ -883,6 +882,9 @@ func (c *Container) currentStatus() (Status, error) {
 // out of process we need to verify the container's status based on runtime
 // information and not rely on our in process info.
 func (c *Container) refreshState() error {
+	if c.hasInit() && c.initProcess.pid() == -1 {
+		return c.state.transition(&creatingState{c: c})
+	}
 	paused, err := c.isPaused()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/libcontainer/process_linux.go b/libcontainer/process_linux.go
index 88861f0a94d..6a1063ed099 100644
--- a/libcontainer/process_linux.go
+++ b/libcontainer/process_linux.go
@@ -554,6 +554,13 @@ func (p *initProcess) start() (retErr error) {
 		return fmt.Errorf("unable to start init: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	// SIGKILL may happen at any time, so generate state.json here
+	_, err = p.container.updateState(nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("unable to store init state before creating cgroup: %w", err)
+	}
+	p.container.initProcess = p
+
 	defer func() {
 		if retErr != nil {
 			// Find out if init is killed by the kernel's OOM killer.
diff --git a/libcontainer/state_linux.go b/libcontainer/state_linux.go
index 2b7b8b5bc36..142fbd5bc26 100644
--- a/libcontainer/state_linux.go
+++ b/libcontainer/state_linux.go
@@ -242,3 +242,20 @@ func (n *loadedState) destroy() error {
 	}
 	return n.c.state.destroy()
 }
+
+type creatingState struct {
+	c *Container
+}
+
+func (i *creatingState) status() Status {
+	return Creating
+}
+
+func (i *creatingState) transition(s containerState) error {
+	return newStateTransitionError(i, s)
+}
+
+func (i *creatingState) destroy() error {
+	_ = signalAllProcesses(i.c.cgroupManager, unix.SIGKILL)
+	return destroy(i.c)
+}