diff --git a/pkg/db/db.go b/pkg/db/db.go
index 734723c04..e2246b9a2 100644
--- a/pkg/db/db.go
+++ b/pkg/db/db.go
@@ -789,27 +789,55 @@ func (h *DBHandler) processReleaseManifestRows(ctx context.Context, err error, r
 	return result, nil
 }
 
-func (h *DBHandler) DBSelectReleasesByApp(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, app string, deleted bool, ignorePrepublishes bool) ([]*DBReleaseWithMetaData, error) {
-	span, ctx := tracer.StartSpanFromContext(ctx, "DBSelectReleasesByApp")
+// DBSelectReleasesByAppLatestEslVersion returns the latest eslversion
+// for each release of an app. It includes deleted releases and loads manifests.
+func (h *DBHandler) DBSelectReleasesByAppLatestEslVersion(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, app string, ignorePrepublishes bool) ([]*DBReleaseWithMetaData, error) {
+	span, ctx := tracer.StartSpanFromContext(ctx, "DBSelectReleasesByAppLatestEslVersion")
 	defer span.Finish()
-	selectQuery := h.AdaptQuery(fmt.Sprintf(
-		"SELECT eslVersion, created, appName, metadata, manifests, releaseVersion, deleted, environments " +
-			" FROM releases " +
-			" WHERE appName=? AND deleted=?" +
-			" ORDER BY releaseVersion DESC, eslVersion DESC, created DESC;"))
+	selectQuery := h.AdaptQuery(
+		`SELECT
+			releases.eslVersion,
+			releases.created,
+			releases.appName,
+			releases.metadata,
+			releases.manifests,
+			releases.releaseVersion,
+			releases.deleted,
+			releases.environments
+		FROM (
+			SELECT
+				MAX(eslVersion) AS latestEslVersion,
+				appname,
+				releaseversion
+			FROM
+				releases
+			WHERE 
+				appname=?
+			GROUP BY
+				appname, releaseversion
+		) as currentEslReleases
+		JOIN
+		  releases
+		ON 
+			currentEslReleases.appname 			= releases.appname
+		AND
+			currentEslReleases.latesteslversion = releases.eslversion
+		AND
+			currentEslReleases.releaseversion 	= releases.releaseversion
+		ORDER BY currentEslReleases.releaseversion DESC;`,
+	)
 	span.SetTag("query", selectQuery)
 	rows, err := tx.QueryContext(
 		ctx,
 		selectQuery,
 		app,
-		deleted,
 	)
 
 	return h.processReleaseRows(ctx, err, rows, ignorePrepublishes, true)
 }
 
-func (h *DBHandler) DBSelectReleasesByAppLatestEslVersion(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, app string, deleted bool, ignorePrepublishes bool) ([]*DBReleaseWithMetaData, error) {
-	span, ctx := tracer.StartSpanFromContext(ctx, "DBSelectReleasesByApp")
+func (h *DBHandler) DBSelectReleasesByAppOrderedByEslVersion(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, app string, deleted bool, ignorePrepublishes bool) ([]*DBReleaseWithMetaData, error) {
+	span, ctx := tracer.StartSpanFromContext(ctx, "DBSelectReleasesByAppOrderedByEslVersion")
 	defer span.Finish()
 	selectQuery := h.AdaptQuery(fmt.Sprintf(
 		"SELECT eslVersion, created, appName, metadata, releaseVersion, deleted, environments " +
diff --git a/pkg/db/db_test.go b/pkg/db/db_test.go
index 7221dffef..35563e9e6 100644
--- a/pkg/db/db_test.go
+++ b/pkg/db/db_test.go
@@ -2311,6 +2311,35 @@ func TestReadReleasesByApp(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			},
 		},
+		{
+			Name: "Retrieve deleted release",
+			Releases: []DBReleaseWithMetaData{
+				{
+					EslVersion:    1,
+					ReleaseNumber: 10,
+					App:           "app1",
+					Manifests:     DBReleaseManifests{Manifests: map[string]string{"dev": "manifest1"}},
+				},
+				{
+					EslVersion:    2,
+					ReleaseNumber: 10,
+					App:           "app1",
+					Deleted:       true,
+					Manifests:     DBReleaseManifests{Manifests: map[string]string{"dev": "manifest1"}},
+				},
+			},
+			AppName: "app1",
+			Expected: []*DBReleaseWithMetaData{
+				{
+					EslVersion:    2,
+					ReleaseNumber: 10,
+					Deleted:       true,
+					App:           "app1",
+					Manifests:     DBReleaseManifests{Manifests: map[string]string{"dev": "manifest1"}},
+					Environments:  []string{"dev"},
+				},
+			},
+		},
 		{
 			Name: "Retrieve multiple releases",
 			Releases: []DBReleaseWithMetaData{
@@ -2525,7 +2554,7 @@ func TestReadReleasesByApp(t *testing.T) {
 						return fmt.Errorf("error while writing release, error: %w", err)
 					}
 				}
-				releases, err := dbHandler.DBSelectReleasesByApp(ctx, transaction, tc.AppName, false, !tc.RetrievePrepublishes)
+				releases, err := dbHandler.DBSelectReleasesByAppLatestEslVersion(ctx, transaction, tc.AppName, !tc.RetrievePrepublishes)
 				if err != nil {
 					return fmt.Errorf("error while selecting release, error: %w", err)
 				}
diff --git a/services/cd-service/pkg/repository/transformer.go b/services/cd-service/pkg/repository/transformer.go
index c308054ab..c684bb02c 100644
--- a/services/cd-service/pkg/repository/transformer.go
+++ b/services/cd-service/pkg/repository/transformer.go
@@ -672,7 +672,7 @@ func (c *CreateApplicationVersion) Transform(
 	sortedKeys := sorting.SortKeys(c.Manifests)
 
 	if state.DBHandler.ShouldUseOtherTables() {
-		prevRelease, err := state.DBHandler.DBSelectReleasesByAppLatestEslVersion(ctx, transaction, c.Application, false, false)
+		prevRelease, err := state.DBHandler.DBSelectReleasesByAppOrderedByEslVersion(ctx, transaction, c.Application, false, false)
 		if err != nil {
 			return "", err
 		}
@@ -1711,7 +1711,7 @@ func (u *DeleteEnvFromApp) Transform(
 		return "", err
 	}
 	if state.DBHandler.ShouldUseOtherTables() {
-		releases, err := state.DBHandler.DBSelectReleasesByApp(ctx, transaction, u.Application, false, true)
+		releases, err := state.DBHandler.DBSelectReleasesByAppLatestEslVersion(ctx, transaction, u.Application, true)
 		if err != nil {
 			return "", err
 		}
diff --git a/services/cd-service/pkg/repository/transformer_db_test.go b/services/cd-service/pkg/repository/transformer_db_test.go
index 16b87918d..973c987e8 100644
--- a/services/cd-service/pkg/repository/transformer_db_test.go
+++ b/services/cd-service/pkg/repository/transformer_db_test.go
@@ -22,11 +22,12 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"github.com/lib/pq"
 	"regexp"
 	"testing"
 	gotime "time"
 
+	"github.com/lib/pq"
+
 	"github.com/freiheit-com/kuberpult/pkg/api/v1"
 	"github.com/freiheit-com/kuberpult/pkg/event"
 
@@ -2264,7 +2265,7 @@ func TestDeleteEnvFromAppWithDB(t *testing.T) {
 				if err != nil {
 					return fmt.Errorf("error: %v", err)
 				}
-				releases, err2 := state.DBHandler.DBSelectReleasesByApp(ctx, transaction, appName, false, true)
+				releases, err2 := state.DBHandler.DBSelectReleasesByAppLatestEslVersion(ctx, transaction, appName, true)
 				if err2 != nil {
 					return fmt.Errorf("error retrieving release: %v", err2)
 				}
@@ -3649,7 +3650,7 @@ func TestTimestampConsistency(t *testing.T) {
 					t.Fatalf("error mismatch on envAcceptance(-want, +got):\n%s", diff)
 				}
 				//Release
-				releases, err := state.DBHandler.DBSelectReleasesByApp(ctx, transaction, testAppName, false, true)
+				releases, err := state.DBHandler.DBSelectReleasesByAppLatestEslVersion(ctx, transaction, testAppName, true)
 				if err != nil {
 					return err
 				}
diff --git a/tests/integration-tests/release_test.go b/tests/integration-tests/release_test.go
index 81809fe43..513dcb3a6 100644
--- a/tests/integration-tests/release_test.go
+++ b/tests/integration-tests/release_test.go
@@ -472,7 +472,7 @@ func callDBForLock(t *testing.T, dbHandler *db.DBHandler, ctx context.Context, e
 
 func callDBForReleases(t *testing.T, dbHandler *db.DBHandler, ctx context.Context, appName string) []*db.DBReleaseWithMetaData {
 	release, err := db.WithTransactionMultipleEntriesT(dbHandler, ctx, true, func(ctx context.Context, transaction *sql.Tx) ([]*db.DBReleaseWithMetaData, error) {
-		return dbHandler.DBSelectReleasesByApp(ctx, transaction, appName, false, true)
+		return dbHandler.DBSelectReleasesByAppLatestEslVersion(ctx, transaction, appName, true)
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("DBSelectReleasesByApp failed %s", err)