diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 33d13dd3557b6233550a312c20faa24a23be9d03..ab8208ca80837890d41f1bb0a7f1aeac83699d51 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,16 @@
 # Gitaly changelog
 
+v0.45.0
+
+- Implement OperationService::UserMergeBranch
+  https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly/merge_requests/394
+- Add client feature logging and metrics
+  https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly/merge_requests/392
+- Implement RepositoryService.HasLocalBranches RPC
+  https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly/merge_requests/397
+- Fix Commit Subject parsing in rubyserver
+  https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly/merge_requests/388
+
 v0.44.0
 
 - Update gitlab_git to 4a0f720a502ac02423
@@ -8,10 +19,6 @@ v0.44.0
   https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly/merge_requests/385
 - Implement Raw{Diff,Patch} RPCs
   https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly/merge_requests/381
-- Add client feature logging and metrics
-  https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly/merge_requests/392
-- Implement RepositoryService.HasLocalBranches RPC
-  https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitaly/merge_requests/397
 
 v0.43.0
 
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 99bcaeeea9764630c61e94a75c928c3e899af9a3..116c0c9cdf0cd83c652afe9763518e038ce43b1e 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ The Gitaly style guide is [documented in it's own file](STYLE.md)
 
 Any new merge request must contain either a CHANGELOG.md entry or a
 justification why no changelog entry is needed. New changelog entries
-should be added to the 'UNRELEASED' section of CHANGELOG.md.
+should be added to the **top** of the 'UNRELEASED' section of CHANGELOG.md.
 
 If a change is specific to an RPC, start the changelog line with the
 RPC name. So for a change to RPC `FooBar` you would get:
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index a8ab6c9666ac56419ff42179f1a5a930a9190ef8..bcce5d06b8a0b4fdd4ccec2e420c11bcff4f5a0d 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-0.44.0
+0.45.0