diff --git a/UPGRADING.rst b/UPGRADING.rst
index 03c661c4bd..5214b78d57 100644
--- a/UPGRADING.rst
+++ b/UPGRADING.rst
@@ -41,6 +41,10 @@ lower and stable deployments, perform the second phase using the ``apply``
 Makefile target after the merge commit was successfully built on the GitLab
 instance in that deployment.
 
+Deploy the ``gitlab`` component of any main deployment just after pushing the PR
+branch to GitHub. Run ``make -C terraform/gitlab/runner`` just before pushing
+the merge commit to the GitLab instance in that deployment.
+
 
 #5728 Many stale images in gitlab-dind and GitLab registry
 ==========================================================
diff --git a/environment.py b/environment.py
index 7cdd2fc275..db3eda2fbb 100644
--- a/environment.py
+++ b/environment.py
@@ -279,10 +279,10 @@ def env() -> Mapping[str, Optional[str]]:
                 'ref': 'docker.io/clamav/clamav:1.2.1-27'
             },
             'gitlab': {
-                'ref': 'docker.io/gitlab/gitlab-ce:16.8.1-ce.0'
+                'ref': 'docker.io/gitlab/gitlab-ce:16.9.0-ce.0'
             },
             'gitlab_runner': {
-                'ref': 'docker.io/gitlab/gitlab-runner:ubuntu-v16.7.1'
+                'ref': 'docker.io/gitlab/gitlab-runner:ubuntu-v16.9.0'
             },
             'dind': {
                 'ref': 'docker.io/library/docker:{azul_docker_version}-dind'