diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_cpp.yml b/.github/workflows/test_cpp.yml
index f324ddd68a..d43d20af87 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_cpp.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_cpp.yml
@@ -62,8 +62,8 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout pending changes
         uses: actions/checkout@ac593985615ec2ede58e132d2e21d2b1cbd6127c # v3.3.0
         with:
-          submodules: recursive
           ref: ${{ inputs.safe-checkout }}
+          submodules: recursive
       - name: Cross compile protoc for ${{ matrix.arch }}
         id: cross-compile
         uses: protocolbuffers/protobuf-ci/cross-compile-protoc@v1
@@ -118,9 +118,13 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout pending changes
         uses: actions/checkout@ac593985615ec2ede58e132d2e21d2b1cbd6127c # v3.3.0
         with:
-          submodules: recursive
           ref: ${{ inputs.safe-checkout }}
 
+      # Initialize/update the submodule from remote to validate a new fetch based on .gitmodules
+      # We have to do this separately since actions/checkout doesn't support the "--remote" flag
+      - name: Update submodules
+        run: git submodule update --init --remote --recursive
+
       - name: Setup ccache
         uses: protocolbuffers/protobuf-ci/ccache@v1
         with:
@@ -140,9 +144,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout pending changes
         uses: actions/checkout@ac593985615ec2ede58e132d2e21d2b1cbd6127c # v3.3.0
         with:
-          submodules: recursive
           ref: ${{ inputs.safe-checkout }}
 
+      - name: Update submodules
+        run: git submodule update --init --remote --recursive
+
       - name: Setup ccache
         uses: protocolbuffers/protobuf-ci/ccache@v1
         with:
@@ -169,9 +175,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout pending changes
         uses: actions/checkout@ac593985615ec2ede58e132d2e21d2b1cbd6127c # v3.3.0
         with:
-          submodules: recursive
           ref: ${{ inputs.safe-checkout }}
 
+      - name: Update submodules
+        run: git submodule update --init --remote --recursive
+
       - name: Setup ccache
         uses: protocolbuffers/protobuf-ci/ccache@v1
         with:
@@ -249,9 +257,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout pending changes
         uses: actions/checkout@ac593985615ec2ede58e132d2e21d2b1cbd6127c # v3.3.0
         with:
-          submodules: recursive
           ref: ${{ inputs.safe-checkout }}
 
+      - name: Update submodules
+        run: git submodule update --init --remote --recursive
+
       - name: Setup ccache
         uses: protocolbuffers/protobuf-ci/ccache@v1
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_php.yml b/.github/workflows/test_php.yml
index e3dbe4fb02..d6f352c605 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_php.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_php.yml
@@ -40,8 +40,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout pending changes
         uses: actions/checkout@ac593985615ec2ede58e132d2e21d2b1cbd6127c # v3.3.0
         with:
-          submodules: recursive
           ref: ${{ inputs.safe-checkout }}
+      - name: Update submodules
+        run: git submodule update --init --remote --recursive
       - name: Run tests
         uses: protocolbuffers/protobuf-ci/docker@v1
         with:
@@ -73,9 +74,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout pending changes
         uses: actions/checkout@ac593985615ec2ede58e132d2e21d2b1cbd6127c # v3.3.0
         with:
-          submodules: recursive
           ref: ${{ inputs.safe-checkout }}
 
+      - name: Update submodules
+        run: git submodule update --init --remote --recursive
+
       - name: Cross compile protoc for i386
         id: cross-compile
         uses: protocolbuffers/protobuf-ci/cross-compile-protoc@v1
@@ -144,9 +147,13 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout pending changes
         uses: actions/checkout@ac593985615ec2ede58e132d2e21d2b1cbd6127c # v3.3.0
         with:
-          submodules: recursive
           ref: ${{ inputs.safe-checkout }}
 
+      # Initialize/update the submodule from remote to validate a new fetch based on .gitmodules
+      # We have to do this separately since actions/checkout doesn't support the "--remote" flag
+      - name: Update submodules
+        run: git submodule update --init --remote --recursive
+
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: brew install coreutils # For sha256sum
 
diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 32628905b7..6a76a293fb 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 [submodule "third_party/abseil-cpp"]
 	path = third_party/abseil-cpp
 	url = https://github.com/abseil/abseil-cpp.git
-	branch = lts_2023_01_24
+	branch = lts_2023_01_25
 [submodule "third_party/jsoncpp"]
 	path = third_party/jsoncpp
 	url = https://github.com/open-source-parsers/jsoncpp.git