diff --git a/inference-engine/src/readers/ir_reader/ie_ir_reader.cpp b/inference-engine/src/readers/ir_reader/ie_ir_reader.cpp
index 7fec2839346..0ebbe86b927 100644
--- a/inference-engine/src/readers/ir_reader/ie_ir_reader.cpp
+++ b/inference-engine/src/readers/ir_reader/ie_ir_reader.cpp
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 #include <string>
 #include <vector>
 #include <sstream>
+#include <algorithm>
+#include <cctype>
 
 #include "description_buffer.hpp"
 #include "ie_ir_parser.hpp"
@@ -27,20 +29,21 @@ bool IRReader::supportModel(std::istream& model) const {
     const int header_size = 128;
     std::string header(header_size, ' ');
     model.read(&header[0], header_size);
+    model.seekg(0, model.beg);
 
-    // find '<net ' substring in the .xml file
-    bool supports = (header.find("<net ") != std::string::npos) ||
-                    (header.find("<Net ") != std::string::npos);
+    pugi::xml_document doc;
+    auto res = doc.load_string(header.c_str(), pugi::parse_default | pugi::parse_fragment);
 
-    if (supports) {
-        pugi::xml_document xmlDoc;
-        model.seekg(0, model.beg);
-        pugi::xml_parse_result res = xmlDoc.load(model);
-        if (res.status != pugi::status_ok) {
-            supports = false;
-        } else {
-            pugi::xml_node root = xmlDoc.document_element();
-            auto version = GetIRVersion(root);
+    bool supports = false;
+
+    if (res == pugi::status_ok) {
+        pugi::xml_node root = doc.document_element();
+
+        std::string node_name = root.name();
+        std::transform(node_name.begin(), node_name.end(), node_name.begin(), ::tolower);
+
+        if (node_name == "net") {
+            size_t const version = GetIRVersion(root);
 #ifdef IR_READER_V10
             supports = version == 10;
 #else
@@ -49,7 +52,6 @@ bool IRReader::supportModel(std::istream& model) const {
         }
     }
 
-    model.seekg(0, model.beg);
     return supports;
 }
 
diff --git a/inference-engine/tests/functional/inference_engine/net_reader_test.cpp b/inference-engine/tests/functional/inference_engine/net_reader_test.cpp
index 7d9ac799e5b..156b8b7eb45 100644
--- a/inference-engine/tests/functional/inference_engine/net_reader_test.cpp
+++ b/inference-engine/tests/functional/inference_engine/net_reader_test.cpp
@@ -146,6 +146,71 @@ TEST_P(NetReaderTest, ReadCorrectModelWithWeightsUnicodePath) {
 
 #endif
 
+TEST(NetReaderTest, IRSupportModelDetection) {
+    InferenceEngine::Core ie;
+
+    static char const *model = R"V0G0N(<net name="Network" version="10" some_attribute="Test Attribute">
+    <layers>
+        <layer name="in1" type="Parameter" id="0" version="opset1">
+            <data element_type="f32" shape="1,3,22,22"/>
+            <output>
+                <port id="0" precision="FP32">
+                    <dim>1</dim>
+                    <dim>3</dim>
+                    <dim>22</dim>
+                    <dim>22</dim>
+                </port>
+            </output>
+        </layer>
+        <layer name="Abs" id="1" type="Abs" version="experimental">
+            <input>
+                <port id="1" precision="FP32">
+                    <dim>1</dim>
+                    <dim>3</dim>
+                    <dim>22</dim>
+                    <dim>22</dim>
+                </port>
+            </input>
+            <output>
+                <port id="2" precision="FP32">
+                    <dim>1</dim>
+                    <dim>3</dim>
+                    <dim>22</dim>
+                    <dim>22</dim>
+                </port>
+            </output>
+        </layer>
+        <layer name="output" type="Result" id="2" version="opset1">
+            <input>
+                <port id="0" precision="FP32">
+                    <dim>1</dim>
+                    <dim>3</dim>
+                    <dim>22</dim>
+                    <dim>22</dim>
+                </port>
+            </input>
+        </layer>
+    </layers>
+    <edges>
+        <edge from-layer="0" from-port="0" to-layer="1" to-port="1"/>
+        <edge from-layer="1" from-port="2" to-layer="2" to-port="0"/>
+    </edges>
+</net>
+)V0G0N";
+
+    std::string headers[] = {
+        R"()",
+        R"(<!-- <net name="Network" version="100500"> -->)",
+        R"(<!-- <net name="Network" version="10" some_attribute="Test Attribute"> -->)"
+    };
+
+    InferenceEngine::Blob::CPtr weights;
+
+    for (auto header : headers) {
+        ASSERT_NO_THROW(ie.ReadNetwork(header + model, weights));
+    }
+}
+
 std::string getTestCaseName(testing::TestParamInfo<NetReaderTestParams> testParams) {
     InferenceEngine::SizeVector dims;
     InferenceEngine::Precision prc;