diff --git a/elements/debian-minimal/element-deps b/elements/debian-minimal/element-deps
index cba86060f..4867362bd 100644
--- a/elements/debian-minimal/element-deps
+++ b/elements/debian-minimal/element-deps
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 debootstrap
+pkg-map
diff --git a/elements/debian-minimal/environment.d/10-debian-minimal.bash b/elements/debian-minimal/environment.d/10-debian-minimal.bash
index e92bace4e..3f2200226 100644
--- a/elements/debian-minimal/environment.d/10-debian-minimal.bash
+++ b/elements/debian-minimal/environment.d/10-debian-minimal.bash
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 export DISTRO_NAME=debian
-export DIB_RELEASE=${DIB_RELEASE:-unstable}
+export DIB_RELEASE=${DIB_RELEASE:-stable}
 export DIB_DISTRIBUTION_MIRROR=${DIB_DISTRIBUTION_MIRROR:-http://httpredir.debian.org/debian}
 export DIB_DEBIAN_COMPONENTS=${DIB_DEBIAN_COMPONENTS:-main}
 export DIB_DEBIAN_COMPONENTS_WS=${DIB_DEBIAN_COMPONENTS//,/ }
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ updates:deb ${DIB_DISTRIBUTION_MIRROR} ${DIB_RELEASE}-updates ${DIB_DEBIAN_COMPO
 security:deb http://security.debian.org/ ${DIB_RELEASE}/updates ${DIB_DEBIAN_COMPONENTS_WS}
 "
 
-if [ "${DIB_RELEASE}" = "unstable" ]; then
+if [ "${DIB_RELEASE}" = "testing" -o "${DIB_RELEASE}" = "unstable" ]; then
     DIB_APT_SOURCES_CONF_DEFAULT="default:deb ${DIB_DISTRIBUTION_MIRROR} ${DIB_RELEASE} ${DIB_DEBIAN_COMPONENTS_WS}"
 fi
 
diff --git a/elements/debian-minimal/package-installs.yaml b/elements/debian-minimal/package-installs.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d86cad09c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/debian-minimal/package-installs.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+systemd:
+systemd-sysv:
diff --git a/elements/debian-minimal/pkg-map b/elements/debian-minimal/pkg-map
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..281ae60d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/debian-minimal/pkg-map
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+{
+  "release": {
+    "debian": {
+      "testing": {
+        "systemd": "systemd",
+        "systemd-sysv": "systemd-sysv"
+       }
+     }
+   },
+  "default": {
+    "systemd": "",
+    "systemd-sysv": ""
+  }
+}
diff --git a/elements/debian-minimal/test-elements/stable-build-succeeds/README.rst b/elements/debian-minimal/test-elements/stable-build-succeeds/README.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3217c8458
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/debian-minimal/test-elements/stable-build-succeeds/README.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Verify we can build a debian-minimal stable image.
diff --git a/elements/debian-minimal/test-elements/stable-build-succeeds/environment.d/10-set-distro.bash b/elements/debian-minimal/test-elements/stable-build-succeeds/environment.d/10-set-distro.bash
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..16e4cd98b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/debian-minimal/test-elements/stable-build-succeeds/environment.d/10-set-distro.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+export DISTRO_NAME=debian
+export DIB_RELEASE=stable
diff --git a/elements/debian-minimal/test-elements/testing-build-succeeds/README.rst b/elements/debian-minimal/test-elements/testing-build-succeeds/README.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3217c8458
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/debian-minimal/test-elements/testing-build-succeeds/README.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Verify we can build a debian-minimal stable image.
diff --git a/elements/debian-minimal/test-elements/testing-build-succeeds/environment.d/10-set-distro.bash b/elements/debian-minimal/test-elements/testing-build-succeeds/environment.d/10-set-distro.bash
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..ee73f2f12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elements/debian-minimal/test-elements/testing-build-succeeds/environment.d/10-set-distro.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+export DISTRO_NAME=debian
+export DIB_RELEASE=testing
diff --git a/elements/debootstrap/root.d/08-debootstrap b/elements/debootstrap/root.d/08-debootstrap
index d76cb6726..bf94feb15 100755
--- a/elements/debootstrap/root.d/08-debootstrap
+++ b/elements/debootstrap/root.d/08-debootstrap
@@ -59,9 +59,10 @@ else
 
     # Have to --include=python because of dib-run-parts
     # Have to --include=sudo for pre-install.d use of sudoers files
+    # Have to --include=busybox because initramfs needs it
     sudo sh -c "http_proxy=$http_proxy debootstrap --verbose \
         --variant=minbase \
-        --include=python,sudo,$KERNEL_PACKAGE \
+        --include=python,sudo,busybox,$KERNEL_PACKAGE \
         --components=${DIB_DEBIAN_COMPONENTS} \
         --arch=${ARCH} \
         $KEYRING_OPT \
diff --git a/tests/run_functests.sh b/tests/run_functests.sh
index 6eb272603..f43c1e2f7 100755
--- a/tests/run_functests.sh
+++ b/tests/run_functests.sh
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@ DEFAULT_SKIP_TESTS=(
     fedora/build-succeeds
     # in non-voting
     gentoo/build-succeeds
+    # good to have the test case around - but because of changes
+    # in testing does not work always.
+    debian-minimal/testing-build-succeeds
 )
 
 # run_disk_element_test <test_element> <element>