diff --git a/core/api/test/unit/app/wind-down/is-account-in-wind-down-cohort.spec.ts b/core/api/test/unit/app/wind-down/is-account-in-wind-down-cohort.spec.ts
index 0246215940..f22076682f 100644
--- a/core/api/test/unit/app/wind-down/is-account-in-wind-down-cohort.spec.ts
+++ b/core/api/test/unit/app/wind-down/is-account-in-wind-down-cohort.spec.ts
@@ -519,6 +519,23 @@ describe("evaluateWindDownCohortMatch with cohort flags on", () => {
     )
   })
 
+  it("does not skip past an unparsable newest deleted phone to an older affected one", async () => {
+    withUser(undefined, [MX_PHONE, "not-a-phone"])
+    mockFindEarliestByAccountId.mockResolvedValue({ metadata: { isoCode: "GT" } })
+
+    const result = await evaluateWindDownCohortMatch({ account: makeAccount() })
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({ matched: false })
+    expect(mockPersistAssessment).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        matched: false,
+        assignedCountry: "GT",
+        rule: "hierarchy",
+        signals: expect.objectContaining({ creationIpCountry: "GT" }),
+      }),
+    )
+  })
+
   it("bounds the lazy assessment's latest-IP evidence to the configured cutoff", async () => {
     withUser(MX_PHONE)
     const account = makeAccount()
@@ -548,6 +565,23 @@ describe("evaluateWindDownCohortMatch with cohort flags on", () => {
     expect(mockPersistAssessment).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
   })
 
+  it("keeps a released account out even when its live signals turn affected", async () => {
+    mockFindAssessmentByAccountId.mockResolvedValue(
+      storedAssessment({
+        matched: false,
+        assignedCountry: "GT" as CohortCountry,
+        rule: "exclusion-override" as WindDownCohortRule,
+      }),
+    )
+    withUser(MX_PHONE)
+
+    const result = await evaluateWindDownCohortMatch({ account: makeAccount() })
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({ matched: false })
+    expect(mockFindById).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(mockPersistAssessment).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
   it("trusts the concurrent winner's persisted verdict over its own computation", async () => {
     withUser(MX_PHONE)
     mockPersistAssessment.mockResolvedValue(
diff --git a/core/api/test/unit/domain/wind-down/assess-cohort-residency.spec.ts b/core/api/test/unit/domain/wind-down/assess-cohort-residency.spec.ts
index f58decca55..c24ecdb2b5 100644
--- a/core/api/test/unit/domain/wind-down/assess-cohort-residency.spec.ts
+++ b/core/api/test/unit/domain/wind-down/assess-cohort-residency.spec.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,15 @@ describe("assessCohortResidency", () => {
       ).toEqual({ matched: true, assignedCountry: "FJ", rule: "strict-list" })
     })
 
+    it("holds a strict AND affected phone against the same-country release pair", () => {
+      // the release would fire for this affected primary if the strict scan did not run first
+      expect(
+        assessCohortResidency(
+          args({ phoneCountry: "KE", creationIpCountry: "GT", latestIpCountry: "GT" }),
+        ),
+      ).toEqual({ matched: true, assignedCountry: "KE", rule: "strict-list" })
+    })
+
     it("locks on a strict newest deleted phone regardless of IPs", () => {
       expect(
         assessCohortResidency(