diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 0852a360..b9fadce5 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -6,13 +6,28 @@
 Fail2Ban: Changelog
 ===================
 
-ver. 0.9.6 (2016/12/10) - stretch-is-coming
+
+ver. 0.9.x (2016/??/??) - wanna-be-released
 -----------
 
 0.9.x line is no longer heavily developed.  If you are interested in
 new features (e.g. IPv6 support), please consider 0.10 branch and its
 releases.
 
+### Fixes
+
+### New Features
+* New Actions:
+
+* New Filters:
+
+
+### Enhancements
+
+
+ver. 0.9.6 (2016/12/10) - stretch-is-coming
+-----------
+
 ### Fixes
 * Misleading add resp. enable of (already available) jail in database, that
   induced a subsequent error: last position of log file will be never retrieved (gh-795)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 998e43e2..3f0e3253 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
                         / _|__ _(_) |_  ) |__  __ _ _ _  
                        |  _/ _` | | |/ /| '_ \/ _` | ' \ 
                        |_| \__,_|_|_/___|_.__/\__,_|_||_|
-                       v0.9.6                  2016/12/10
+                       v0.9.6.dev0             2016/??/??
 
 ## Fail2Ban: ban hosts that cause multiple authentication errors
 
diff --git a/RELEASE b/RELEASE
index b879fa20..c4f62d7a 100644
--- a/RELEASE
+++ b/RELEASE
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ Post Release
 
 Add the following to the top of the ChangeLog::
 
-  ver. 0.9.7 (2016/XX/XXX) - wanna-be-released
+  ver. 0.9.8 (2016/XX/XXX) - wanna-be-released
   -----------
   
   ### Fixes
diff --git a/fail2ban/version.py b/fail2ban/version.py
index 194918d7..c2a8dc59 100644
--- a/fail2ban/version.py
+++ b/fail2ban/version.py
@@ -24,4 +24,4 @@ __author__ = "Cyril Jaquier, Yaroslav Halchenko, Steven Hiscocks, Daniel Black"
 __copyright__ = "Copyright (c) 2004 Cyril Jaquier, 2005-2016 Yaroslav Halchenko, 2013-2014 Steven Hiscocks, Daniel Black"
 __license__ = "GPL-v2+"
 
-version = "0.9.6"
+version = "0.9.6.dev0"