diff --git a/src/core/bpf-firewall.c b/src/core/bpf-firewall.c
index 32eb8700e3..7b9aeb6fbf 100644
--- a/src/core/bpf-firewall.c
+++ b/src/core/bpf-firewall.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include "memory-util.h"
 #include "missing_syscall.h"
 #include "unit.h"
+#include "virt.h"
 
 enum {
         MAP_KEY_PACKETS,
@@ -643,6 +644,8 @@ int bpf_firewall_reset_accounting(int map_fd) {
         return bpf_map_update_element(map_fd, &key, &value);
 }
 
+static int bpf_firewall_unsupported_reason = 0;
+
 int bpf_firewall_supported(void) {
         struct bpf_insn trivial[] = {
                 BPF_MOV64_IMM(BPF_REG_0, 1),
@@ -667,7 +670,9 @@ int bpf_firewall_supported(void) {
                 return supported;
 
         if (geteuid() != 0) {
-                log_debug("Not enough privileges, BPF firewalling is not supported.");
+                bpf_firewall_unsupported_reason =
+                        log_debug_errno(SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EACCES),
+                                        "Not enough privileges, BPF firewalling is not supported.");
                 return supported = BPF_FIREWALL_UNSUPPORTED;
         }
 
@@ -675,7 +680,9 @@ int bpf_firewall_supported(void) {
         if (r < 0)
                 return log_error_errno(r, "Can't determine whether the unified hierarchy is used: %m");
         if (r == 0) {
-                log_debug("Not running with unified cgroups, BPF firewalling is not supported.");
+                bpf_firewall_unsupported_reason =
+                        log_debug_errno(SYNTHETIC_ERRNO(EUCLEAN),
+                                        "Not running with unified cgroups, BPF firewalling is not supported.");
                 return supported = BPF_FIREWALL_UNSUPPORTED;
         }
 
@@ -685,7 +692,8 @@ int bpf_firewall_supported(void) {
                          1,
                          BPF_F_NO_PREALLOC);
         if (fd < 0) {
-                log_debug_errno(fd, "Can't allocate BPF LPM TRIE map, BPF firewalling is not supported: %m");
+                bpf_firewall_unsupported_reason =
+                        log_debug_errno(fd, "Can't allocate BPF LPM TRIE map, BPF firewalling is not supported: %m");
                 return supported = BPF_FIREWALL_UNSUPPORTED;
         }
 
@@ -693,19 +701,22 @@ int bpf_firewall_supported(void) {
 
         r = bpf_program_new(BPF_PROG_TYPE_CGROUP_SKB, &program);
         if (r < 0) {
-                log_debug_errno(r, "Can't allocate CGROUP SKB BPF program, BPF firewalling is not supported: %m");
+                bpf_firewall_unsupported_reason =
+                        log_debug_errno(r, "Can't allocate CGROUP SKB BPF program, BPF firewalling is not supported: %m");
                 return supported = BPF_FIREWALL_UNSUPPORTED;
         }
 
         r = bpf_program_add_instructions(program, trivial, ELEMENTSOF(trivial));
         if (r < 0) {
-                log_debug_errno(r, "Can't add trivial instructions to CGROUP SKB BPF program, BPF firewalling is not supported: %m");
+                bpf_firewall_unsupported_reason =
+                        log_debug_errno(r, "Can't add trivial instructions to CGROUP SKB BPF program, BPF firewalling is not supported: %m");
                 return supported = BPF_FIREWALL_UNSUPPORTED;
         }
 
         r = bpf_program_load_kernel(program, NULL, 0);
         if (r < 0) {
-                log_debug_errno(r, "Can't load kernel CGROUP SKB BPF program, BPF firewalling is not supported: %m");
+                bpf_firewall_unsupported_reason =
+                        log_debug_errno(r, "Can't load kernel CGROUP SKB BPF program, BPF firewalling is not supported: %m");
                 return supported = BPF_FIREWALL_UNSUPPORTED;
         }
 
@@ -725,7 +736,8 @@ int bpf_firewall_supported(void) {
 
         if (bpf(BPF_PROG_DETACH, &attr, sizeof(attr)) < 0) {
                 if (errno != EBADF) {
-                        log_debug_errno(errno, "Didn't get EBADF from BPF_PROG_DETACH, BPF firewalling is not supported: %m");
+                        bpf_firewall_unsupported_reason =
+                                log_debug_errno(errno, "Didn't get EBADF from BPF_PROG_DETACH, BPF firewalling is not supported: %m");
                         return supported = BPF_FIREWALL_UNSUPPORTED;
                 }
 
@@ -769,10 +781,13 @@ void emit_bpf_firewall_warning(Unit *u) {
         static bool warned = false;
 
         if (!warned) {
-                log_unit_warning(u, "unit configures an IP firewall, but %s.\n"
-                                    "(This warning is only shown for the first unit using IP firewalling.)",
-                                 getuid() != 0 ? "not running as root" :
-                                                 "the local system does not support BPF/cgroup firewalling");
+                bool quiet = bpf_firewall_unsupported_reason == -EPERM && detect_container();
+
+                log_unit_full(u, quiet ? LOG_DEBUG : LOG_WARNING, bpf_firewall_unsupported_reason,
+                              "unit configures an IP firewall, but %s.\n"
+                              "(This warning is only shown for the first unit using IP firewalling.)",
+                              getuid() != 0 ? "not running as root" :
+                                              "the local system does not support BPF/cgroup firewalling");
                 warned = true;
         }
 }