diff --git a/pkg/background/common/resource.go b/pkg/background/common/resource.go
index 5fb4621073f4..c02bfb3b4b2a 100644
--- a/pkg/background/common/resource.go
+++ b/pkg/background/common/resource.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package common
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"reflect"
 
 	"github.com/go-logr/logr"
 	kyvernov1 "github.com/kyverno/kyverno/api/kyverno/v1"
@@ -15,7 +16,12 @@ import (
 )
 
 func GetResource(client dclient.Interface, resourceSpec kyvernov1.ResourceSpec, urSpec kyvernov2.UpdateRequestSpec, log logr.Logger) (resource *unstructured.Unstructured, err error) {
-	if urSpec.GetResource().GetUID() != "" {
+	obj := resourceSpec
+	if reflect.DeepEqual(obj, kyvernov1.ResourceSpec{}) {
+		obj = urSpec.GetResource()
+	}
+
+	if obj.GetUID() != "" {
 		triggers, err := client.ListResource(context.TODO(), resourceSpec.GetAPIVersion(), resourceSpec.GetKind(), resourceSpec.GetNamespace(), nil)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to list trigger resources: %v", err)
@@ -26,7 +32,7 @@ func GetResource(client dclient.Interface, resourceSpec kyvernov1.ResourceSpec,
 				return &trigger, nil
 			}
 		}
-	} else if urSpec.GetResource().GetName() != "" {
+	} else if obj.GetName() != "" {
 		if resourceSpec.Kind == "Namespace" {
 			resourceSpec.Namespace = ""
 		}
@@ -51,8 +57,12 @@ func GetResource(client dclient.Interface, resourceSpec kyvernov1.ResourceSpec,
 		}
 
 		resource, err = kubeutils.BytesToUnstructured(raw)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to convert raw object to unstructured: %v", err)
+		} else {
+			return resource, nil
+		}
 	}
 
-	log.V(3).Info("fetched trigger resource", "resourceSpec", resourceSpec)
-	return resource, err
+	return nil, fmt.Errorf("resource not found")
 }
diff --git a/pkg/background/generate/generate.go b/pkg/background/generate/generate.go
index a248aadf03d6..3321c189e1e7 100644
--- a/pkg/background/generate/generate.go
+++ b/pkg/background/generate/generate.go
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ func NewGenerateController(
 }
 
 func (c *GenerateController) ProcessUR(ur *kyvernov2.UpdateRequest) error {
-	logger := c.log.WithValues("name", ur.GetName(), "policy", ur.Spec.GetPolicyKey(), "resource", ur.Spec.GetResource().String())
+	logger := c.log.WithValues("name", ur.GetName(), "policy", ur.Spec.GetPolicyKey())
 	var err error
 	var genResources []kyvernov1.ResourceSpec
 	logger.Info("start processing UR", "ur", ur.Name, "resourceVersion", ur.GetResourceVersion())
@@ -137,6 +137,7 @@ const doesNotApply = "policy does not apply to resource"
 
 func (c *GenerateController) getTrigger(spec kyvernov2.UpdateRequestSpec, i int) (*unstructured.Unstructured, error) {
 	resourceSpec := spec.RuleContext[i].Trigger
+	c.log.V(4).Info("fetching trigger", "trigger", resourceSpec.String())
 	admissionRequest := spec.Context.AdmissionRequestInfo.AdmissionRequest
 	if admissionRequest == nil {
 		return common.GetResource(c.client, resourceSpec, spec, c.log)