diff --git a/polkadot/Cargo.lock b/polkadot/Cargo.lock
index 959869e595..16f49c7082 100644
--- a/polkadot/Cargo.lock
+++ b/polkadot/Cargo.lock
@@ -5497,7 +5497,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "polkadot-node-subsystem",
  "polkadot-node-subsystem-util",
  "polkadot-primitives",
- "rand 0.8.3",
  "tracing",
 ]
 
@@ -5877,6 +5876,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "polkadot-node-subsystem",
  "polkadot-node-subsystem-test-helpers",
  "polkadot-primitives",
+ "rand 0.8.3",
  "sc-network",
  "sp-application-crypto",
  "sp-core",
diff --git a/polkadot/node/network/approval-distribution/src/lib.rs b/polkadot/node/network/approval-distribution/src/lib.rs
index 944fba0904..0b1e274465 100644
--- a/polkadot/node/network/approval-distribution/src/lib.rs
+++ b/polkadot/node/network/approval-distribution/src/lib.rs
@@ -39,10 +39,12 @@ use polkadot_node_subsystem::{
 	},
 	ActiveLeavesUpdate, FromOverseer, OverseerSignal, SpawnedSubsystem, Subsystem, SubsystemContext,
 };
-use polkadot_node_subsystem_util::metrics::{self, prometheus};
+use polkadot_node_subsystem_util::{
+	metrics::{self, prometheus},
+	self as util, MIN_GOSSIP_PEERS,
+};
 use polkadot_node_network_protocol::{
 	PeerId, View, v1 as protocol_v1, UnifiedReputationChange as Rep,
-
 };
 
 const LOG_TARGET: &str = "parachain::approval-distribution";
@@ -653,6 +655,7 @@ impl State {
 			.collect::<Vec<_>>();
 
 		let assignments = vec![(assignment, claimed_candidate_index)];
+		let peers = util::choose_random_sqrt_subset(peers, MIN_GOSSIP_PEERS);
 
 		// Add the fingerprint of the assignment to the knowledge of each peer.
 		for peer in peers.iter() {
@@ -886,6 +889,7 @@ impl State {
 			.cloned()
 			.filter(|key| maybe_peer_id.as_ref().map_or(true, |id| id != key))
 			.collect::<Vec<_>>();
+		let peers = util::choose_random_sqrt_subset(peers, MIN_GOSSIP_PEERS);
 
 		// Add the fingerprint of the assignment to the knowledge of each peer.
 		for peer in peers.iter() {
diff --git a/polkadot/node/network/bitfield-distribution/src/lib.rs b/polkadot/node/network/bitfield-distribution/src/lib.rs
index 546a086a08..03409eb3c8 100644
--- a/polkadot/node/network/bitfield-distribution/src/lib.rs
+++ b/polkadot/node/network/bitfield-distribution/src/lib.rs
@@ -31,7 +31,10 @@ use polkadot_subsystem::{
 	SubsystemContext, SubsystemResult,
 	jaeger,
 };
-use polkadot_node_subsystem_util::metrics::{self, prometheus};
+use polkadot_node_subsystem_util::{
+	metrics::{self, prometheus},
+	self as util, MIN_GOSSIP_PEERS,
+};
 use polkadot_primitives::v1::{Hash, SignedAvailabilityBitfield, SigningContext, ValidatorId};
 use polkadot_node_network_protocol::{v1 as protocol_v1, PeerId, View, UnifiedReputationChange as Rep, OurView};
 use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
@@ -358,6 +361,7 @@ where
 			}
 		})
 		.collect::<Vec<PeerId>>();
+	let interested_peers = util::choose_random_sqrt_subset(interested_peers, MIN_GOSSIP_PEERS);
 	drop(_span);
 
 	if interested_peers.is_empty() {
diff --git a/polkadot/node/network/gossip-support/Cargo.toml b/polkadot/node/network/gossip-support/Cargo.toml
index b8d66f05d7..56d239f121 100644
--- a/polkadot/node/network/gossip-support/Cargo.toml
+++ b/polkadot/node/network/gossip-support/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,4 +12,3 @@ polkadot-primitives = { path = "../../../primitives" }
 
 futures = "0.3.8"
 tracing = "0.1.25"
-rand = "0.8.3"
diff --git a/polkadot/node/network/gossip-support/src/lib.rs b/polkadot/node/network/gossip-support/src/lib.rs
index 0d9fb55abc..2e3e7e9bc3 100644
--- a/polkadot/node/network/gossip-support/src/lib.rs
+++ b/polkadot/node/network/gossip-support/src/lib.rs
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@
 //! the gossiping subsystems on every new session.
 
 use futures::FutureExt as _;
-use rand::seq::SliceRandom as _;
 use polkadot_node_subsystem::{
 	messages::{
 		GossipSupportMessage,
@@ -103,17 +102,6 @@ async fn determine_relevant_validators(
 	Ok(validators)
 }
 
-// chooses a random subset of sqrt(v.len()), but at least 25 elements
-fn choose_random_subset<T>(mut v: Vec<T>) -> Vec<T> {
-	let mut rng = rand::thread_rng();
-	v.shuffle(&mut rng);
-
-	let sqrt = (v.len() as f64).sqrt() as usize;
-	let len = std::cmp::max(25, sqrt);
-	v.truncate(len);
-	v
-}
-
 impl State {
 	/// 1. Determine if the current session index has changed.
 	/// 2. If it has, determine relevant validators
@@ -133,8 +121,7 @@ impl State {
 			if let Some((new_session, relay_parent)) = maybe_new_session {
 				tracing::debug!(target: LOG_TARGET, %new_session, "New session detected");
 				let validators = determine_relevant_validators(ctx, relay_parent, new_session).await?;
-				let validators = choose_random_subset(validators);
-				tracing::debug!(target: LOG_TARGET, targets = ?validators, "Issuing a connection request");
+				tracing::debug!(target: LOG_TARGET, num = ?validators.len(), "Issuing a connection request");
 
 				let request = validator_discovery::connect_to_validators_in_session(
 					ctx,
diff --git a/polkadot/node/network/protocol/src/lib.rs b/polkadot/node/network/protocol/src/lib.rs
index 211f2dcf37..d6918df09f 100644
--- a/polkadot/node/network/protocol/src/lib.rs
+++ b/polkadot/node/network/protocol/src/lib.rs
@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@ pub mod request_response;
 
 /// A version of the protocol.
 pub type ProtocolVersion = u32;
+/// The minimum amount of peers to send gossip messages to.
+pub const MIN_GOSSIP_PEERS: usize = 25;
+
 
 /// An error indicating that this the over-arching message type had the wrong variant
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq)]
diff --git a/polkadot/node/network/protocol/src/peer_set.rs b/polkadot/node/network/protocol/src/peer_set.rs
index 222869937b..ee85da54a5 100644
--- a/polkadot/node/network/protocol/src/peer_set.rs
+++ b/polkadot/node/network/protocol/src/peer_set.rs
@@ -57,7 +57,8 @@ impl PeerSet {
 				notifications_protocol: protocol,
 				max_notification_size,
 				set_config: sc_network::config::SetConfig {
-					in_peers: 25,
+					// we want our gossip subset to always include reserved peers
+					in_peers: super::MIN_GOSSIP_PEERS as u32 / 2,
 					out_peers: 0,
 					reserved_nodes: Vec::new(),
 					non_reserved_mode: sc_network::config::NonReservedPeerMode::Accept,
diff --git a/polkadot/node/network/statement-distribution/src/lib.rs b/polkadot/node/network/statement-distribution/src/lib.rs
index 22e82b33ca..4a4d62523a 100644
--- a/polkadot/node/network/statement-distribution/src/lib.rs
+++ b/polkadot/node/network/statement-distribution/src/lib.rs
@@ -31,7 +31,10 @@ use polkadot_subsystem::{
 		RuntimeApiMessage, RuntimeApiRequest, NetworkBridgeEvent,
 	},
 };
-use polkadot_node_subsystem_util::metrics::{self, prometheus};
+use polkadot_node_subsystem_util::{
+	metrics::{self, prometheus},
+	MIN_GOSSIP_PEERS,
+};
 use polkadot_node_primitives::{SignedFullStatement};
 use polkadot_primitives::v1::{
 	Hash, CompactStatement, ValidatorIndex, ValidatorId, SigningContext, ValidatorSignature, CandidateHash,
@@ -620,13 +623,12 @@ async fn circulate_statement(
 ) -> Vec<PeerId> {
 	let fingerprint = stored.fingerprint();
 
-	let mut peers_to_send = HashMap::new();
+	let len_sqrt = (peers.len() as f64).sqrt() as usize;
+	let cap = std::cmp::max(MIN_GOSSIP_PEERS, len_sqrt);
 
-	for (peer, data) in peers.iter_mut() {
-		if let Some(new_known) = data.send(&relay_parent, &fingerprint) {
-			peers_to_send.insert(peer.clone(), new_known);
-		}
-	}
+	let peers_to_send: HashMap<PeerId, bool> = peers.iter_mut().filter_map(|(peer, data)| {
+		data.send(&relay_parent, &fingerprint).map(|new| (peer.clone(), new))
+	}).take(cap).collect();
 
 	// Send all these peers the initial statement.
 	if !peers_to_send.is_empty() {
diff --git a/polkadot/node/subsystem-util/Cargo.toml b/polkadot/node/subsystem-util/Cargo.toml
index abd04d3cc4..15db5e9c1a 100644
--- a/polkadot/node/subsystem-util/Cargo.toml
+++ b/polkadot/node/subsystem-util/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ futures-timer = "3.0.2"
 parity-scale-codec = { version = "2.0.0", default-features = false, features = ["derive"] }
 parking_lot = { version = "0.11.1", optional = true }
 pin-project = "1.0.4"
+rand = "0.8.3"
 streamunordered = "0.5.1"
 thiserror = "1.0.23"
 tracing = "0.1.25"
diff --git a/polkadot/node/subsystem-util/src/lib.rs b/polkadot/node/subsystem-util/src/lib.rs
index 0358cf7f9b..47c4406a95 100644
--- a/polkadot/node/subsystem-util/src/lib.rs
+++ b/polkadot/node/subsystem-util/src/lib.rs
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ use thiserror::Error;
 
 pub mod validator_discovery;
 pub use metered_channel as metered;
+pub use polkadot_node_network_protocol::MIN_GOSSIP_PEERS;
 
 /// These reexports are required so that external crates can use the `delegated_subsystem` macro properly.
 pub mod reexports {
@@ -267,6 +268,18 @@ pub async fn signing_key(validators: &[ValidatorId], keystore: SyncCryptoStorePt
 	None
 }
 
+/// Chooses a random subset of sqrt(v.len()), but at least `min` elements.
+pub fn choose_random_sqrt_subset<T>(mut v: Vec<T>, min: usize) -> Vec<T> {
+	use rand::seq::SliceRandom as _;
+	let mut rng = rand::thread_rng();
+	v.shuffle(&mut rng);
+
+	let len_sqrt = (v.len() as f64).sqrt() as usize;
+	let len = std::cmp::max(min, len_sqrt);
+	v.truncate(len);
+	v
+}
+
 /// Local validator information
 ///
 /// It can be created if the local node is a validator in the context of a particular