diff --git a/telebot/asyncio_helper.py b/telebot/asyncio_helper.py
index 2836e3ec2..485dd19db 100644
--- a/telebot/asyncio_helper.py
+++ b/telebot/asyncio_helper.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import asyncio # for future uses
+import asyncio
 import ssl
 import threading
 import aiohttp
@@ -26,6 +26,11 @@
 
 REQUEST_TIMEOUT = 300
 MAX_RETRIES = 3
+# Retrying on network errors is opt-in, mirroring telebot.apihelper:
+# when RETRY_ON_ERROR is True, requests failing with a network error are
+# repeated up to MAX_RETRIES times with RETRY_TIMEOUT seconds in between.
+RETRY_ON_ERROR = False
+RETRY_TIMEOUT = 2
 
 REQUEST_LIMIT = 50
 
@@ -90,29 +95,30 @@ async def _process_request(token, url, method='get', params=None, files=None, **
     params = _prepare_data(params, files)
 
     timeout = aiohttp.ClientTimeout(total=request_timeout)
-    got_result = False
-    current_try=0
+    current_try = 0
+    max_tries = MAX_RETRIES if RETRY_ON_ERROR else 1
     session = await session_manager.get_session()
-    while not got_result and current_try<MAX_RETRIES-1:
-        current_try +=1
+    while current_try < max_tries:
+        current_try += 1
         try:
             async with session.request(method=method, url=API_URL.format(token, url), data=params, timeout=timeout, proxy=proxy) as resp:
-                got_result = True
                 logger.debug("Request: method={0} url={1} params={2} files={3} request_timeout={4} current_try={5}".format(method, url, params, files, request_timeout, current_try).replace(token, token.split(':')[0] + ":{TOKEN}"))
-                
+
                 json_result = await _check_result(url, resp)
                 if json_result:
                     return json_result['result']
+                return None
         except (ApiTelegramException,ApiInvalidJSONException, ApiHTTPException) as e:
             raise e
         except aiohttp.ClientError as e:
-            logger.error('Aiohttp ClientError: {0}'.format(e.__class__.__name__))
+            logger.error('Aiohttp ClientError: {0} (try #{1})'.format(e.__class__.__name__, current_try))
         except Exception as e:
-            logger.error(f'Unknown error: {e.__class__.__name__}')
-        if not got_result:
-            raise RequestTimeout("Request timeout. Request: method={0} url={1} params={2} files={3} request_timeout={4}".format(method, url, params, files, request_timeout, current_try))
-    return None
-        
+            logger.error('Unknown error: {0} (try #{1})'.format(e.__class__.__name__, current_try))
+        if current_try < max_tries:
+            await asyncio.sleep(RETRY_TIMEOUT)
+    raise RequestTimeout("Request timeout. Request: method={0} url={1} params={2} files={3} request_timeout={4}".format(method, url, params, files, request_timeout))
+
+
 def _prepare_file(obj):
     """
     Prepares file for upload.
diff --git a/tests/test_asyncio_helper.py b/tests/test_asyncio_helper.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ec24f3397
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_asyncio_helper.py
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+"""Unit tests for `telebot.asyncio_helper._process_request` retry behaviour.
+
+These tests are self-contained (no TOKEN required) and stub out all
+network I/O.
+"""
+import asyncio
+
+import aiohttp
+import pytest
+
+from telebot import asyncio_helper
+
+
+class _FakeResponse:
+    def __init__(self, payload):
+        self._payload = payload
+        self.status = 200
+
+    async def json(self, encoding=None):
+        return self._payload
+
+
+class _FakeRequestContext:
+    def __init__(self, outcome):
+        self._outcome = outcome
+
+    async def __aenter__(self):
+        if isinstance(self._outcome, Exception):
+            raise self._outcome
+        return self._outcome
+
+    async def __aexit__(self, exc_type, exc, tb):
+        return False
+
+
+class _FakeSession:
+    """Yields the given outcomes (exception or response) one per request."""
+
+    def __init__(self, outcomes):
+        self._outcomes = list(outcomes)
+        self.calls = 0
+
+    def request(self, **kwargs):
+        outcome = self._outcomes[min(self.calls, len(self._outcomes) - 1)]
+        self.calls += 1
+        return _FakeRequestContext(outcome)
+
+
+def _ok_response(result=42):
+    return _FakeResponse({"ok": True, "result": result})
+
+
+def _invoke(outcomes, retry_on_error):
+    """Run _process_request against stubbed outcomes.
+
+    Returns (result, raised_exception, fake_session).
+    """
+    session = _FakeSession(outcomes)
+
+    async def fake_get_session():
+        return session
+
+    saved_get_session = asyncio_helper.session_manager.get_session
+    saved_retry_on_error = asyncio_helper.RETRY_ON_ERROR
+    saved_retry_timeout = asyncio_helper.RETRY_TIMEOUT
+    asyncio_helper.session_manager.get_session = fake_get_session
+    asyncio_helper.RETRY_ON_ERROR = retry_on_error
+    asyncio_helper.RETRY_TIMEOUT = 0
+    try:
+        result = asyncio.run(
+            asyncio_helper._process_request("1:fake", "sendMessage", method="post")
+        )
+        return result, None, session
+    except Exception as exc:
+        return None, exc, session
+    finally:
+        asyncio_helper.session_manager.get_session = saved_get_session
+        asyncio_helper.RETRY_ON_ERROR = saved_retry_on_error
+        asyncio_helper.RETRY_TIMEOUT = saved_retry_timeout
+
+
+def test_success_returns_result_payload():
+    result, exc, session = _invoke([_ok_response()], retry_on_error=False)
+    assert exc is None
+    assert result == 42
+    assert session.calls == 1
+
+
+def test_network_error_is_not_retried_by_default():
+    """Default behaviour stays unchanged: fail fast on the first error."""
+    result, exc, session = _invoke(
+        [aiohttp.ClientConnectionError("boom"), _ok_response()],
+        retry_on_error=False,
+    )
+    assert isinstance(exc, asyncio_helper.RequestTimeout)
+    assert session.calls == 1
+
+
+def test_retries_recover_when_enabled():
+    result, exc, session = _invoke(
+        [
+            aiohttp.ClientConnectionError("boom"),
+            asyncio.TimeoutError(),
+            _ok_response(),
+        ],
+        retry_on_error=True,
+    )
+    assert exc is None
+    assert result == 42
+    assert session.calls == 3
+
+
+def test_retries_exhausted_raise_request_timeout():
+    result, exc, session = _invoke(
+        [aiohttp.ClientConnectionError("boom")], retry_on_error=True
+    )
+    assert isinstance(exc, asyncio_helper.RequestTimeout)
+    assert session.calls == asyncio_helper.MAX_RETRIES
+
+
+def test_api_error_is_not_retried():
+    """Errors reported by the Bot API itself must propagate immediately."""
+    bad_request = _FakeResponse(
+        {"ok": False, "error_code": 400, "description": "Bad Request: test"}
+    )
+    result, exc, session = _invoke([bad_request, _ok_response()], retry_on_error=True)
+    assert isinstance(exc, asyncio_helper.ApiTelegramException)
+    assert session.calls == 1