title: maven-release-plugin release:branch - Avoid commit to original branch
body: <p>I have just hit a roadblock and would really need some insight from someone who knows the maven-release-plugin. I am trying to use the plugin for operating with my pom file, but without having it touching/committing to the main branch, but to a separate branch so that I can later on PR from there and get the review+approval required by the branch protection policy in my repos.</p>
  
  <h2>Context</h2>
  
  <ol>
  <li>We use github, and the company is enforcing a new branch protection policy in our main branches for security reasons mainly.</li>
  <li>I have been using a jenkins pipeline for releasing and delivering my code which in turn, uses the maven-release-plugin for tagging the repo, and switching the version in the pom.xml, etc.</li>
  <li>When using github's branch protection, the release plugin cannot do the usual operations, because it cannot push straight to the main branch.</li>
  </ol>
  
  <h2>My research</h2>
  
  <p>I found out that the plugin supports <a href="http://maven.apache.org/maven-release/maven-release-plugin/examples/branch.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">creating a branch in the process</a> of releasing, that would be exactly what I am looking for. So, I built the environment for trying this out:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>GitHub repository</li>
  <li>Maven project</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>and started running some tests. The closest to being successful, was this line (version number is not important):</p>
  
  <pre><code>mvn --batch-mode release:branch '-DbranchName=release-v1.2.1' -DupdateBranchVersions=true -DupdateWorkingCopyVersions=false
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I started with the version in the pom set to the value of the version I am releasing (it is not great, but I am willing to make that commit myself). I have checked the <a href="http://maven.apache.org/maven-release/maven-release-plugin/prepare-mojo.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">release:prepare docs</a> but found nothing that would help me achieving my goal.</p>
  
  <h2>My question</h2>
  
  <p>Is there any way of telling the plugin, not to make any commits to the original branch, so that it does not get rejected by the branch protection?
  I always get at least a commit to the main branch like this one:</p>
  
  <pre><code>* 934af86 2020-04-27 | [maven-release-plugin] prepare branch release-v1.2.1 (HEAD -&gt; master) [Commiter Name]
  </code></pre>