diff --git a/src/kitemviews/kitemlistcontroller.cpp b/src/kitemviews/kitemlistcontroller.cpp
--- a/src/kitemviews/kitemlistcontroller.cpp
+++ b/src/kitemviews/kitemlistcontroller.cpp
@@ -928,7 +928,7 @@
         // Something has been dropped between two items.
         m_view->hideDropIndicator();
         emit aboveItemDropEvent(dropAboveIndex, event);
-    } else {
+    } else if (!event->mimeData()->hasFormat(m_model->blacklistItemDropEventMimeType())) {
         // Something has been dropped on an item or on an empty part of the view.
         emit itemDropEvent(m_view->itemAt(pos), event);
     }
diff --git a/src/kitemviews/kitemmodelbase.h b/src/kitemviews/kitemmodelbase.h
--- a/src/kitemviews/kitemmodelbase.h
+++ b/src/kitemviews/kitemmodelbase.h
@@ -172,6 +172,16 @@
     // decision whether it accepts the drop?
     virtual bool supportsDropping(int index) const;
 
+    /**
+     * @return An internal mimetype to signal that an itemDropEvent() should be rejected by
+     *         the receiving model.
+     *
+     *         This mimeType can be used in createMimeData() to notify that the
+     *         drop-onto-items events should be ignored, while the drop-between-items
+     *         ones should be still accepted.
+     */
+    QString blacklistItemDropEventMimeType() const;
+
 signals:
     /**
      * Is emitted if one or more items have been inserted. Each item-range consists
diff --git a/src/kitemviews/kitemmodelbase.cpp b/src/kitemviews/kitemmodelbase.cpp
--- a/src/kitemviews/kitemmodelbase.cpp
+++ b/src/kitemviews/kitemmodelbase.cpp
@@ -142,6 +142,11 @@
     return false;
 }
 
+QString KItemModelBase::blacklistItemDropEventMimeType() const
+{
+    return QStringLiteral("application/x-dolphin-blacklist-drop");
+}
+
 void KItemModelBase::onGroupedSortingChanged(bool current)
 {
     Q_UNUSED(current);
diff --git a/src/panels/places/placesitemmodel.cpp b/src/panels/places/placesitemmodel.cpp
--- a/src/panels/places/placesitemmodel.cpp
+++ b/src/panels/places/placesitemmodel.cpp
@@ -376,6 +376,9 @@
     QMimeData* mimeData = new QMimeData();
     if (!urls.isEmpty()) {
         mimeData->setUrls(urls);
+    } else {
+        // #378954: prevent itemDropEvent() drops if there isn't a source url.
+        mimeData->setData(blacklistItemDropEventMimeType(), QByteArrayLiteral("true"));
     }
     mimeData->setData(internalMimeType(), itemData);