diff --git a/app/vmalert/alerting.go b/app/vmalert/alerting.go
index 75c80f2de..5ecf4da08 100644
--- a/app/vmalert/alerting.go
+++ b/app/vmalert/alerting.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"hash/fnv"
 	"sort"
@@ -404,6 +405,8 @@ func alertForToTimeSeries(name string, a *notifier.Alert, timestamp time.Time) p
 	return newTimeSeries(float64(a.Start.Unix()), labels, timestamp)
 }
 
+var ErrStateRestore = errors.New("failed to restore the state")
+
 // Restore restores the state of active alerts basing on previously written timeseries.
 // Restore restores only Start field. Field State will be always Pending and supposed
 // to be updated on next Exec, as well as Value field.
@@ -428,7 +431,7 @@ func (ar *AlertingRule) Restore(ctx context.Context, q datasource.Querier, lookb
 		alertForStateMetricName, ar.Name, labelsFilter, int(lookback.Seconds()))
 	qMetrics, err := q.Query(ctx, expr)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return fmt.Errorf("%s: %w", err, ErrStateRestore)
 	}
 
 	for _, m := range qMetrics {
diff --git a/app/vmalert/main.go b/app/vmalert/main.go
index a2a5ff75a..886dcb0b8 100644
--- a/app/vmalert/main.go
+++ b/app/vmalert/main.go
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ eg. 'explore?orgId=1&left=[\"now-1h\",\"now\",\"VictoriaMetrics\",{\"expr\": \"{
 
 	remoteReadLookBack = flag.Duration("remoteRead.lookback", time.Hour, "Lookback defines how far to look into past for alerts timeseries."+
 		" For example, if lookback=1h then range from now() to now()-1h will be scanned.")
+	remoteReadIgnoreRestoreErrors = flag.Bool("remoteRead.ignoreRestoreErrors", true, "Whether to ignore errors from remote storage when restoring alerts state on startup.")
 
 	dryRun = flag.Bool("dryRun", false, "Whether to check only config files without running vmalert. The rules file are validated. The `-rule` flag must be specified.")
 )
diff --git a/app/vmalert/manager.go b/app/vmalert/manager.go
index cd248f5bd..22de88ae8 100644
--- a/app/vmalert/manager.go
+++ b/app/vmalert/manager.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
@@ -51,7 +52,12 @@ func (m *manager) AlertAPI(gID, aID uint64) (*APIAlert, error) {
 }
 
 func (m *manager) start(ctx context.Context, path []string, validateTpl, validateExpr bool) error {
-	return m.update(ctx, path, validateTpl, validateExpr, true)
+	err := m.update(ctx, path, validateTpl, validateExpr, true)
+	if *remoteReadIgnoreRestoreErrors && errors.Is(err, ErrStateRestore) {
+		logger.Errorf("%s", err)
+		return nil
+	}
+	return err
 }
 
 func (m *manager) close() {
@@ -64,11 +70,11 @@ func (m *manager) close() {
 	m.wg.Wait()
 }
 
-func (m *manager) startGroup(ctx context.Context, group *Group, restore bool) {
+func (m *manager) startGroup(ctx context.Context, group *Group, restore bool) error {
 	if restore && m.rr != nil {
 		err := group.Restore(ctx, m.rr, *remoteReadLookBack, m.labels)
 		if err != nil {
-			logger.Errorf("error while restoring state for group %q: %s", group.Name, err)
+			return fmt.Errorf("error while restoring state for group %q: %w", group.Name, err)
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -79,6 +85,7 @@ func (m *manager) startGroup(ctx context.Context, group *Group, restore bool) {
 		m.wg.Done()
 	}()
 	m.groups[id] = group
+	return nil
 }
 
 func (m *manager) update(ctx context.Context, path []string, validateTpl, validateExpr, restore bool) error {
@@ -117,7 +124,9 @@ func (m *manager) update(ctx context.Context, path []string, validateTpl, valida
 		}
 	}
 	for _, ng := range groupsRegistry {
-		m.startGroup(ctx, ng, restore)
+		if err := m.startGroup(ctx, ng, restore); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 	}
 	m.groupsMu.Unlock()