Support The Moscow Times!

Russia to Rethink Daylight-Saving Time

A linear clock in London's Piccadilly Circus metro station. A 24-hour band moves across the static map with a marker to indicate daylight-saving time. Creative Commons

The State Duma will take up discussion of a bill in September to undo a law signed by then-President Dmitry Medvedev to observe daylight-saving time year-round, the Duma's health committee head said Wednesday.

"I am currently preparing a bill, which will be finished over the summer, and it will be submitted to the State Duma in early September," committee chairman Sergei Kalashnikov told RIA-Novosti.

Russia has observed permanent "summer time" since 2011, when it moved clocks forward in March and did not set them back in the fall as the rest of Europe did.

But Kalashnikov said observing daylight-saving year-round adversely affects the health of Russian citizens, and many have complained of disrupted routines.

Ironically, health concerns were one of the central reasons cited by Medvedev when he enacted the policy, stressing that "the need to adapt is connected to stress and illnesses."

Scientific studies show more suicides and? heart attacks occur immediately after a? shift to? daylight-saving time, and? that switching clocks back and? forth causes more pollution, but citizens have expressed discontent after a winter full of dark mornings.

President Vladimir Putin has also said on? more than one occasion that if people felt strongly that the? change was a? mistake, the? government may turn back the? clock on? the change.

Russia had previously observed daylight-saving since it was introduced by the Soviet Union in 1981.


See also:

Nation Ticked Off After a Winter of Summer Time

Russia Sets Forward Clocks for the Last Time

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more