Ukraine: Separatists in Luhansk and Donetsk move to Moscow Time
Published 24-Oct-2014
The “Luhansk People's Republic”, a self-proclaimed separatist state in eastern Ukraine will switch to Moscow Time at 03:00 (3:00 a.m.) on Sunday, October 26, 2014. It is likely that the “Donetsk People's Republic” will follow suit.
Protest against the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
No clock change
There will be no clock change in the eastern Ukrainian areas as they join the Moscow time zone. The time there will remain 3 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Ukraine, including its capital Kyiv, currently observes Eastern European Summer Time (EEST), which is 3 hours ahead of UTC. At the time of the switch, Ukraine will fall back to UTC +2 hours while Moscow will go from UTC +4 to UTC +3 as Russia moves from Daylight Saving Time (DST) to permanent standard time.
Closer to Russia
The move is designed to bring eastern Ukraine closer to Russia. In an ongoing secession crisis, pro-Russian rebels seized parts of the country's eastern and southern areas. Crimea already moved its clocks to Moscow Time as Russia annexed the peninsula in March 2014.
The “Luhansk People's Republic” comprises the southern part of Luhansk oblast; the “Donetsk People's Republic” covers the eastern areas of Donetsk oblast.