diff --git a/components/http/okHttp/gradle/dependencies.gradle b/components/http/okHttp/gradle/dependencies.gradle
index a5535a1b0..321bfbf7d 100644
--- a/components/http/okHttp/gradle/dependencies.gradle
+++ b/components/http/okHttp/gradle/dependencies.gradle
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ dependencies {
 
     testImplementation 'org.mockito:mockito-core:5.18.0'
     testImplementation 'com.squareup.okhttp3:logging-interceptor:4.12.0'
+    testImplementation 'com.squareup.okhttp3:mockwebserver:4.12.0'
 
 
     // This dependency is used internally, and not exposed to consumers on their own compile classpath.
diff --git a/components/http/okHttp/src/main/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/KiotaClientFactory.java b/components/http/okHttp/src/main/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/KiotaClientFactory.java
index 7c72a868f..5f36334f2 100644
--- a/components/http/okHttp/src/main/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/KiotaClientFactory.java
+++ b/components/http/okHttp/src/main/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/KiotaClientFactory.java
@@ -58,6 +58,9 @@ private KiotaClientFactory() {}
         Objects.requireNonNull(interceptors, "parameter interceptors cannot be null");
         final OkHttpClient.Builder builder =
                 new OkHttpClient.Builder()
+                        .followRedirects(
+                                false) // Redirects handled by .middleware.RedirectHandler rather
+                        // than okhttp
                         .connectTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(100))
                         .readTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(100))
                         .callTimeout(
diff --git a/components/http/okHttp/src/main/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/middleware/RedirectHandler.java b/components/http/okHttp/src/main/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/middleware/RedirectHandler.java
index 52ff30273..4cc2d4c9a 100644
--- a/components/http/okHttp/src/main/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/middleware/RedirectHandler.java
+++ b/components/http/okHttp/src/main/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/middleware/RedirectHandler.java
@@ -173,10 +173,12 @@ Request getRedirect(final Request request, final Response userResponse)
                                     request,
                                     "RedirectHandler_Intercept - redirect " + requestsCount,
                                     span);
-                    redirectSpan.setAttribute(
-                            "com.microsoft.kiota.handler.redirect.count", requestsCount);
-                    redirectSpan.setAttribute("http.status_code", response.code());
-                    redirectSpan.end();
+                    if (redirectSpan != null) {
+                        redirectSpan.setAttribute(
+                                "com.microsoft.kiota.handler.redirect.count", requestsCount);
+                        redirectSpan.setAttribute("http.status_code", response.code());
+                        redirectSpan.end();
+                    }
                 }
             } while (shouldRedirect);
         } finally {
diff --git a/components/http/okHttp/src/test/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/KiotaClientFactoryTest.java b/components/http/okHttp/src/test/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/KiotaClientFactoryTest.java
index a6c300549..37800c4dd 100644
--- a/components/http/okHttp/src/test/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/KiotaClientFactoryTest.java
+++ b/components/http/okHttp/src/test/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/KiotaClientFactoryTest.java
@@ -153,6 +153,12 @@ void testCreateWithAuthProviderAndRequestOptions() throws IOException {
         }
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void upstreamRedirectHandlingDisabledByDefault() {
+        OkHttpClient client = KiotaClientFactory.create().build();
+        assertFalse(client.followRedirects());
+    }
+
     private static RetryHandler getDisabledRetryHandler() {
         RetryHandlerOption retryHandlerOption =
                 new RetryHandlerOption((delay, executionCount, request, response) -> false, 0, 0);
diff --git a/components/http/okHttp/src/test/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/middleware/RedirectHandlerTests.java b/components/http/okHttp/src/test/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/middleware/RedirectHandlerTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e72a3fafc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/http/okHttp/src/test/java/com/microsoft/kiota/http/middleware/RedirectHandlerTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+package com.microsoft.kiota.http.middleware;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+
+import com.microsoft.kiota.http.KiotaClientFactory;
+import com.microsoft.kiota.http.middleware.options.RedirectHandlerOption;
+
+import okhttp3.*;
+import okhttp3.mockwebserver.MockResponse;
+import okhttp3.mockwebserver.MockWebServer;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+@SuppressWarnings("resource")
+public class RedirectHandlerTests {
+
+    @Test
+    void redirectsAreFollowedByDefault() throws Exception {
+        var server = new MockWebServer();
+        server.enqueue(
+                new MockResponse().setResponseCode(301).setHeader("Location", server.url("/bar")));
+        server.enqueue(new MockResponse().setResponseCode(201));
+
+        var interceptors = new Interceptor[] {new RedirectHandler()};
+
+        final OkHttpClient client = KiotaClientFactory.create(interceptors).build();
+        final Request request = new Request.Builder().url(server.url("/foo")).build();
+
+        // ACT
+        var response = client.newCall(request).execute();
+
+        server.takeRequest(); // discard first request
+        var request2 = server.takeRequest();
+
+        assertEquals("/bar", request2.getPath());
+        assertEquals(201, response.code());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void redirectsCanBeDisabled() throws Exception {
+        var server = new MockWebServer();
+        server.enqueue(
+                new MockResponse().setResponseCode(301).setHeader("Location", server.url("/bar")));
+
+        var ignoreRedirectsOption = new RedirectHandlerOption(0, response -> false);
+        var redirectHandler = new RedirectHandler(ignoreRedirectsOption);
+        var interceptors = new Interceptor[] {redirectHandler};
+
+        final OkHttpClient client = KiotaClientFactory.create(interceptors).build();
+        final Request request = new Request.Builder().url(server.url("/foo")).build();
+
+        // ACT
+        var response = client.newCall(request).execute();
+
+        assertEquals(301, response.code());
+    }
+}