* Add support for adding/removing finalizer depending on PVC protection feature gate ([#61370](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/61370), [@gnufied](https://github.com/gnufied))

- Fix job tracking with finalizers for more than 500 pods, ensuring all finalizers are removed before counting the Pod. ([#104666](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/104666), [@alculquicondor](https://github.com/alculquicondor))

* In case StorageObjectInUse feature is disabled and Persistent Volume (PV) or Persistent Volume Claim (PVC) contains a finalizer and the PV or PVC is deleted it is not automatically removed from the system. Now, it is automatically removed. ([#62938](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/62938), [@pospispa](https://github.com/pospispa))

* The OwnerReferencesPermissionEnforcement admission plugin now requires `update` permission on the `finalizers` subresource of the referenced owner in order to set `blockOwnerDeletion` on an owner reference. ([#49133](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/49133), [@deads2k](https://github.com/deads2k))

- Volume snapshot e2e test to validate PVC and VolumeSnapshotContent finalizer ([#95863](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/95863), [@RaunakShah](https://github.com/RaunakShah)) [SIG Cloud Provider, Storage and Testing]

* Fix for [failure to delete federation controllers with finalizers](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/43828). ([#44084](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/44084), [@nikhiljindal](https://github.com/nikhiljindal))

- Finalizer Protection for Service LoadBalancers is now in beta (enabled by default). This feature ensures the Service resource is not fully deleted until the correlating load balancer resources are deleted. ([#81691](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/81691),...

* Fix a bug in kubelet hostport logic which flushes KUBE-MARK-MASQ iptables chain ([#32413](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/32413), [@freehan](https://github.com/freehan))
* Make sure finalizers prevent deletion on storage that supports graceful deletion ([#32351](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/32351), [@caesarxuchao](https://github.com/caesarxuchao))

- kube-apiserver: the `StorageObjectInUseProtection` admission plugin added the `kubernetes.io/vac-protection` finalizer to the given VolumeAttributesClass object when it is created if the feature-gate `VolumeAttributesClass` is turned on and `storage.k8s.io/v1beta1` is enabled. ([#130553](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/130553), [@Phaow](https://github.com/Phaow))...

* Fixed a bug in the apiserver storage that could cause just-added finalizers to be ignored on an immediately following delete request, leading to premature deletion. ([#77619](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/77619), [@caesarxuchao](https://github.com/caesarxuchao))