diff --git a/compiler/ir/ir.psi2ir/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/psi2ir/generators/BranchingExpressionGenerator.kt b/compiler/ir/ir.psi2ir/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/psi2ir/generators/BranchingExpressionGenerator.kt
index 69306103819..498c39f7399 100644
--- a/compiler/ir/ir.psi2ir/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/psi2ir/generators/BranchingExpressionGenerator.kt
+++ b/compiler/ir/ir.psi2ir/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/psi2ir/generators/BranchingExpressionGenerator.kt
@@ -85,7 +85,12 @@ class BranchingExpressionGenerator(statementGenerator: StatementGenerator) : Sta
             scope.createTemporaryVariable(statementGenerator.generateExpression(it), "subject")
         }
 
-        val resultType = getInferredTypeWithImplicitCastsOrFail(expression)
+        // TODO relies on ControlFlowInformationProvider, get rid of it
+        val resultType =
+                if (context.bindingContext[BindingContext.USED_AS_EXPRESSION, expression] ?: false)
+                    getInferredTypeWithImplicitCastsOrFail(expression)
+                else
+                    context.builtIns.unitType
 
         val irWhen = IrWhenImpl(expression.startOffset, expression.endOffset, resultType, IrStatementOrigin.WHEN)
 
diff --git a/compiler/testData/ir/irCfg/when/whenReturn.txt b/compiler/testData/ir/irCfg/when/whenReturn.txt
index 078317f60fc..445747384d5 100644
--- a/compiler/testData/ir/irCfg/when/whenReturn.txt
+++ b/compiler/testData/ir/irCfg/when/whenReturn.txt
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ CONTENT
       1 FUN public fun toString(grade: kotlin.String): kotlin.String
       2 GET_VAR 'value-parameter grade: String' type=kotlin.String origin=null
       3 VAR IR_TEMPORARY_VARIABLE val tmp0_subject: kotlin.String
-      4 WHEN type=kotlin.Nothing origin=WHEN
+      4 WHEN type=kotlin.Unit origin=WHEN
       5 GET_VAR 'tmp0_subject: String' type=kotlin.String origin=null
       6 CONST String type=kotlin.String value='A'
 OUTGOING -> BB 1, 5
diff --git a/compiler/testData/ir/irText/expressions/whenCoercedToUnit.kt b/compiler/testData/ir/irText/expressions/whenCoercedToUnit.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..cfbd1828b35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler/testData/ir/irText/expressions/whenCoercedToUnit.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+// WITH_RUNTIME
+
+fun foo(x: Int) {
+    when (x) {
+        0 -> 0
+    }
+}
diff --git a/compiler/testData/ir/irText/expressions/whenCoercedToUnit.txt b/compiler/testData/ir/irText/expressions/whenCoercedToUnit.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bb01f0a90a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler/testData/ir/irText/expressions/whenCoercedToUnit.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+FILE /whenCoercedToUnit.kt
+  FUN public fun foo(x: kotlin.Int): kotlin.Unit
+    BLOCK_BODY
+      BLOCK type=kotlin.Unit origin=WHEN
+        VAR IR_TEMPORARY_VARIABLE val tmp0_subject: kotlin.Int
+          GET_VAR 'value-parameter x: Int' type=kotlin.Int origin=null
+        WHEN type=kotlin.Unit origin=WHEN
+          BRANCH
+            if: CALL 'EQEQ(Any?, Any?): Boolean' type=kotlin.Boolean origin=EQEQ
+              arg0: GET_VAR 'tmp0_subject: Int' type=kotlin.Int origin=null
+              arg1: CONST Int type=kotlin.Int value='0'
+            then: TYPE_OP origin=IMPLICIT_COERCION_TO_UNIT typeOperand=kotlin.Unit
+              CONST Int type=kotlin.Int value='0'
diff --git a/compiler/testData/ir/irText/expressions/whenReturn.txt b/compiler/testData/ir/irText/expressions/whenReturn.txt
index eca3f4385bd..ec99536bc7c 100644
--- a/compiler/testData/ir/irText/expressions/whenReturn.txt
+++ b/compiler/testData/ir/irText/expressions/whenReturn.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 FILE /whenReturn.kt
   FUN public fun toString(grade: kotlin.String): kotlin.String
     BLOCK_BODY
-      BLOCK type=kotlin.Nothing origin=WHEN
+      BLOCK type=kotlin.Unit origin=WHEN
         VAR IR_TEMPORARY_VARIABLE val tmp0_subject: kotlin.String
           GET_VAR 'value-parameter grade: String' type=kotlin.String origin=null
-        WHEN type=kotlin.Nothing origin=WHEN
+        WHEN type=kotlin.Unit origin=WHEN
           BRANCH
             if: CALL 'EQEQ(Any?, Any?): Boolean' type=kotlin.Boolean origin=EQEQ
               arg0: GET_VAR 'tmp0_subject: String' type=kotlin.String origin=null
diff --git a/compiler/tests/org/jetbrains/kotlin/ir/IrTextTestCaseGenerated.java b/compiler/tests/org/jetbrains/kotlin/ir/IrTextTestCaseGenerated.java
index 750c242919c..1a627499c94 100644
--- a/compiler/tests/org/jetbrains/kotlin/ir/IrTextTestCaseGenerated.java
+++ b/compiler/tests/org/jetbrains/kotlin/ir/IrTextTestCaseGenerated.java
@@ -689,6 +689,12 @@ public class IrTextTestCaseGenerated extends AbstractIrTextTestCase {
             doTest(fileName);
         }
 
+        @TestMetadata("whenCoercedToUnit.kt")
+        public void testWhenCoercedToUnit() throws Exception {
+            String fileName = KotlinTestUtils.navigationMetadata("compiler/testData/ir/irText/expressions/whenCoercedToUnit.kt");
+            doTest(fileName);
+        }
+
         @TestMetadata("whenElse.kt")
         public void testWhenElse() throws Exception {
             String fileName = KotlinTestUtils.navigationMetadata("compiler/testData/ir/irText/expressions/whenElse.kt");