Russia Returns to Standard Time All Year
Published 2-Jul-2014. Changed 22-Jul-2014
On Tuesday, July 1, 2014, the Russian State Duma voted to end the widely unpopular permanent "summer time" in Russia. President Vladimir Putin signed the law on July 22, 2014.
The State Duma in Moscow.
©thinkstockphoto.com
Most Russians will move to permanent Standard Time, or “winter time”, by setting their clocks 1 hour back on October 26, 2014. This is the same date most Europeans end Daylight Saving Time (DST).
But the Russians will only join in the setting back of the clocks this year. From then on they will remain on Standard Time (winter time) and will not be setting their clocks forward again 1 hour along with the rest of Europe in March 2015.
DST ends in Europe, October 2014
DST ends in USA & Canada, November 2014
Two New Time Zones
The bill also introduces 2 new time zones for some regions that prefer to stay on permanent "summer time." This increases the number of time zones in Russia from 9 to 11.
The Federation Council, which is the Russian Parliament's upper house, will consider the bill for a vote on July 9.
Closer to the West
This change will reduce the time difference between Moscow and many western European countries by 1 hour. This means Moscow time will move from UTC+4 to UTC+3.
Replaces Unpopular Law
The recent vote overturns former President Dmitry Medvedev's move to end “winter time” in 2011 and to reduce the number of time zones in Russia.
According to lawmakers, Medvedev's permanent “summer time” policy caused stress and health issues for many Russians, especially those who lived in northern Russia. Medical studies showed an increase in morning road accidents in 2012 compared to previous years. The parliamentarians blamed the 2011 time change for this increase.