- `TopologyManagerPolicyOptions` feature-flag is promoted to beta and enabled by default. ([#118816](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/118816), [@PiotrProkop](https://github.com/PiotrProkop))
- `force_delete_pods_total` and `force_delete_pod_errors_total` metrics count all pod deletion behaviors. ([#118480](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/118480), [@carlory](https://github.com/carlory))

    - [Deployments](#deployments)
    - [kubectl rolling-update: < v1.4.0 client vs >=v1.4.0 cluster](#kubectl-rolling-update--v140-client-vs-v140-cluster)
    - [kubectl delete: < v1.4.0 client vs >=v1.4.0 cluster](#kubectl-delete--v140-client-vs-v140-cluster)
    - [DELETE operation in REST API](#delete-operation-in-rest-api)
  - [Action Required Before Upgrading](#action-required-before-upgrading)
- [optionally, remove the old secret](#optionally-remove-the-old-secret)

...

### Bug or Regression

- Fix endpoint reconciler not being able to delete the apiserver lease on shutdown ([#114154](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/114154), [@aojea](https://github.com/aojea)) [SIG API Machinery]

### Other (Cleanup or Flake)

- Ensures that volume is deleted from the storage backend when the user tries to delete the PV object manually and the PV `ReclaimPolicy` is set to `Delete`. ([#105773](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/105773), [@deepakkinni](https://github.com/deepakkinni))

- Fix: check disk status before delete azure disk ([#88360](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/88360), [@andyzhangx](https://github.com/andyzhangx)) [SIG Cloud Provider]

  fix: ensure InstanceShutdownByProviderID return false for creating Azure VMs ([#104448](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/104448), [@feiskyer](https://github.com/feiskyer)) [SIG Cloud Provider]
- Kube-proxy: delete stale conntrack UDP entries for loadbalancer ingress IP. ([#104152](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/104152), [@aojea](https://github.com/aojea)) [SIG Network]

     * Before upgrading to 1.2, <strong>delete all Deployment alpha-version resources</strong>, including the Replication Controllers and Pods the Deployment manages. Then
create Deployment Beta resources after upgrading to 1.2. Not deleting the
Deployment objects may cause the deployment controller to mistakenly match
other pods and delete them, due to the selector API change.

- Fix errors when accessing Windows container stats for Dockershim ([#98510](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/98510), [@jsturtevant](https://github.com/jsturtevant)) [SIG Node and Windows]
- Fix: delete non existing disk issue ([#102083](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/102083), [@andyzhangx](https://github.com/andyzhangx)) [SIG Cloud Provider]

- Fix: check disk status before delete azure disk ([#88360](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/88360), [@andyzhangx](https://github.com/andyzhangx)) [SIG Cloud Provider]