diff --git a/storage/inkless/src/main/java/io/aiven/inkless/consume/FileFetchJob.java b/storage/inkless/src/main/java/io/aiven/inkless/consume/FileFetchJob.java
index 3be049fb3a..5f189ffbc0 100644
--- a/storage/inkless/src/main/java/io/aiven/inkless/consume/FileFetchJob.java
+++ b/storage/inkless/src/main/java/io/aiven/inkless/consume/FileFetchJob.java
@@ -71,6 +71,19 @@ public FileExtent call() throws Exception {
 
     private FileExtent doWork() throws IOException, StorageBackendException {
         final ByteBuffer byteBuffer = objectFetcher.readToByteBuffer(objectFetcher.fetch(key, range));
+        if (range != null && !range.empty()) {
+            // Why this exists:
+            // We read from a stream/channel until EOF; EOF can happen before the requested range is fully delivered
+            // due to network/transient backend issues.
+            // SDKs often throw on transport failures, but not all cases surface as exceptions, so we validate length.
+            final int expectedBytes = range.bufferSize();
+            final int actualBytes = byteBuffer.remaining();
+            if (actualBytes != expectedBytes) {
+                throw new StorageBackendException(
+                    "Short read for " + key + " range " + range + ": expected " + expectedBytes + " bytes, got " + actualBytes
+                );
+            }
+        }
         return createFileExtent(key, range, byteBuffer);
     }
 
diff --git a/storage/inkless/src/test/java/io/aiven/inkless/consume/FileFetchJobTest.java b/storage/inkless/src/test/java/io/aiven/inkless/consume/FileFetchJobTest.java
index a7cda9ecc5..ea10b36734 100644
--- a/storage/inkless/src/test/java/io/aiven/inkless/consume/FileFetchJobTest.java
+++ b/storage/inkless/src/test/java/io/aiven/inkless/consume/FileFetchJobTest.java
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 import io.aiven.inkless.common.PlainObjectKey;
 import io.aiven.inkless.generated.FileExtent;
 import io.aiven.inkless.storage_backend.common.ObjectFetcher;
+import io.aiven.inkless.storage_backend.common.StorageBackendException;
 
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
@@ -79,6 +80,20 @@ public void testFetch() throws Exception {
         assertThat(actualFile).isEqualTo(expectedFile);
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testShortReadThrowsStorageBackendException() throws Exception {
+        final int expectedSize = 10;
+        final ByteRange range = new ByteRange(0, expectedSize);
+        final FileFetchJob job = new FileFetchJob(time, fetcher, objectA, range, durationMs -> { });
+
+        final ReadableByteChannel channel = mock(ReadableByteChannel.class);
+        when(fetcher.fetch(objectA, range)).thenReturn(channel);
+        // Return fewer bytes than requested (simulates short read / truncated stream).
+        when(fetcher.readToByteBuffer(channel)).thenReturn(ByteBuffer.allocate(expectedSize - 1));
+
+        assertThrows(StorageBackendException.class, job::call);
+    }
+
     private List<FileExtent> createCacheAlignedFileExtents(int fileSize, int blockSize) {
         byte[] array = new byte[fileSize];
         for (int i = 0; i < fileSize; i++) {