Misplaced Pages

There are 11 time zones in Russia, which currently observe times ranging from UTC+02:00 to UTC+12:00. Daylight saving time (DST) has not been used in Russia since 26 October 2014. From 27 March 2011 to 26 October 2014, permanent DST was used.

List of zones

Since 27 December 2020, the time zones are as follows:

Daylight saving time

Prior to 2011, Russia moved its clocks backward and forward on the same annual cycle as Europe. On 27 March 2011, clocks were advanced as usual, but they did not go back on 30 October 2011, effectively making Moscow Time UTC+04:00 permanently. On 26 October 2014, following another change in the law, the clocks in most of the country were moved back one hour, but summer daylight saving time was not reintroduced; Moscow Time returned to UTC+03:00 permanently.

History

Russian Empire

In the Russian Empire, most of the nation observed solar time. Until Saturday, 7 October 1867 at 3:30 p.m. GMT+14:59 in the capital of New Archangel (Sitka) (00:31 GMT), Alaska belonged to Russia (Russian America) which used the Julian calendar, which was 11 or 12 days behind the Gregorian calendar (as used by the rest of Russia) and had local times up to GMT+15:10. The westernmost area of Russia was Congress Poland, with local times down to GMT+01:10.

During the late 19th century, Moscow Mean Time was introduced on 1 January 1880, originally at GMT+02:30:17. 2:30:17 corresponds to 37.6166667°, the longitude of Moscow. Other parts of Russia kept solar time for several years.

Russia adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1918, when Wednesday 31 January (O.S.) was followed by Thursday 14 February (N.S.), which dropped 13 days from the calendar.

Soviet Union

After the Soviet Union was created, Moscow Time became UTC+02:00 and the various other time zones (up to UTC+12:00) were introduced throughout Russia and the rest of the Soviet Union, for example Irkutsk Time UTC+07:00 (Irkutsk has since this always been MSK+5). Between 1917 and 1922 the time was less ordered, with daylight saving time some of those years, some with two hours addition, and some of those years with one or two hours extra winter time.

On 21 June 1930, the Soviet Union advanced all clocks by one hour, effectively making the nation run on daylight saving time all year (the so-called decree time).

On 1 April 1981, 00:00:00, Oymyakonsky District changed its time zone from MSK+6 to MSK+8. The change occurred during DST effectively changing the offset from UTC+09:00 to UTC+12:00, the offset without DST was therefore changed from UTC+09:00 to UTC+11:00.

On 1 April 1982, 00:00:00, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug changed its time zone from MSK+10 to MSK+9, thus eliminating Anadyr Time (MSK+10 or UTC+13:00 without DST). The change occurred during DST effectively changing the offset from UTC+14:00 to UTC+13:00, the offset without DST was therefore changed from UTC+13:00 to UTC+12:00.

On 27 March 1988, 02:00:00, Saratov and Volgograd oblasts changed its time zone from MSK+1 to MSK. The change occurred during DST effectively changing the offset from UTC+05:00 to UTC+04:00, the offset without DST was therefore changed from UTC+04:00 to UTC+03:00.

On 26 March 1989, Kaliningrad Oblast switched from Moscow Time to Eastern European Time, and the following areas switched to Moscow Time (thus eliminating Samara Time; MSK+1 or UTC+04:00 without DST):

• Astrakhan Oblast
• Kirov Oblast
• Kuybyshev Krai
• Ulyanovsk Oblast

Russian Federation

Russia and most republics in the Soviet Union abolished the decree time (not moving the clocks) on 31 March 1991, but Russia reversed this the following year (except Samara Oblast which was already in UTC+04:00).

On 20 October 1991, Samara Oblast changed its time zone from MSK to MSK+1 (thus reinstating Samara Time; MSK+1), so from UTC+03:00 to UTC+04:00.

On 23 May 1993, Novosibirsk Oblast changed its time zone from MSK+4 to MSK+3. The change occurred during DST effectively changing the offset from UTC+08:00 to UTC+07:00, the offset without DST was therefore changed from UTC+07:00 to UTC+06:00.

On 28 May 1995, Altai Krai and Altai Republic changed its time zone from MSK+4 to MSK+3.

On 30 March 1997, Sakhalin Oblast changed its time zone from MSK+8 to MSK+7.

In May 2002, Tomsk Oblast changed its time zone from MSK+4 to MSK+3.

The following time zone changes occurred on 28 March 2010, which, in particular, led to abolition of two of the eleven time zones.

• The Udmurt Republic and Samara Oblast started using Moscow Time, thus eliminating Samara Time (MSK+1 or UTC+04:00 without DST).
• Kemerovo Oblast started using Omsk Time.
• Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and Kamchatka Krai started using Magadan Time, thus eliminating Kamchatka Time (MSK+9 or UTC+12:00 without DST).

Although the Russian government wanted to reduce the number of time zones even further, there were protests in far-eastern Russia on the changes, including a 20,000-strong petition in support of Kamchatka returning to UTC+12:00.

Decree No. 725 of 31 August 2011 changed the UTC offset for Moscow Time and the other time zones. Moscow Time Zone began using UTC+04:00 all year around. The notions of decree time and daylight saving time were abolished, but in fact, this decree mandated permanent daylight saving time (or even double daylight saving time in regions that had not abolished the decree time).

The decree also changed the offset of some parts of the Sakha Republic from Moscow. Oymyakonsky District switched from Magadan Time (MSK+8) to Vladivostok Time (MSK+7), and the following areas switched from Vladivostok Time (MSK+7) to Yakutsk Time (MSK+6):

• New Siberian Islands
• Tomponsky District
• Ust-Maysky District

As a result of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, local authorities in the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol decreed that clocks in the newly proclaimed Russian federal subjects should jump ahead two hours at 10 p.m. on 29 March 2014 to switch from Eastern European Time (UTC+02:00) to Moscow Time (UTC+04:00).

In July 2014, further changes were passed, which took effect on 26 October 2014. Most of Russia moved back one hour, so Moscow Time became UTC+03:00 again. Some areas changed offset from Moscow:

• Udmurtia and Samara Oblast remained on UTC+04:00 (thus reinstating Samara Time, MSK+1)
• Kemerovo Oblast remained on UTC+07:00 (went from Omsk to Krasnoyarsk Time)
• Zabaykalsky Krai moved back two hours to UTC+08:00 (went from Yakutsk to Irkutsk Time)
• Magadan Oblast moved back two hours to UTC+10:00 (went from Magadan Time, MSK+8 to Vladivostok Time, MSK+7)
• Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and Kamchatka Krai remained on UTC+12:00 (thus reinstating Kamchatka Time, MSK+9)

The parts of the Magadan Time zone that remained on MSK+8 were given a new time zone name, Srednekolymsk Time, UTC+11:00. Annual DST changes were not observed.

The following time zone changes occurred on 27 March 2016:

• Astrakhan and Ulyanovsk oblasts moved forward one hour from UTC+03:00 to UTC+04:00 (from Moscow to Samara time)
• Altai Krai and Altai Republic moved forward one hour from UTC+06:00 to UTC+07:00 (from Omsk to Krasnoyarsk time)
• Zabaykalsky Krai moved forward one hour from UTC+08:00 to UTC+09:00 (from Irkutsk to Yakutsk time)
• Sakhalin Oblast moved forward one hour from UTC+10:00 to UTC+11:00 (from Vladivostok to Srednekolymsk time), except Severo-Kurilsky District, which was already in UTC+11:00 (Srednekolymsk Time)

On 24 April 2016, Magadan Oblast moved forward one hour from UTC+10:00 to UTC+11:00 (from Vladivostok to Srednekolymsk time). After this change, the UTC+11:00 time zone was again called Magadan Time.

On 29 May 2016, Tomsk Oblast moved forward one hour from UTC+06:00 to UTC+07:00 (from Omsk to Krasnoyarsk time).

On 24 July 2016, Novosibirsk Oblast moved forward one hour from UTC+06:00 to UTC+07:00 (from Omsk to Krasnoyarsk time).

On 4 December 2016, Saratov Oblast moved forward one hour from UTC+03:00 to UTC+04:00 (from Moscow to Samara time).

On 28 October 2018, Volgograd Oblast moved forward one hour from UTC+03:00 to UTC+04:00 (from Moscow to Samara time), but this change was reverted on 27 December 2020.

After the Russian annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in September 2022, the parts of these oblasts under Russian administration remained on Moscow Time (UTC+03:00) and did not revert to UTC+02:00 with the rest of Ukraine at the end of its daylight saving time period in October 2022. In April 2023, the Russian time zone law was changed to formally include these oblasts in Moscow Time.

Railway time

Until 2018, all timetables on Russian Railways (except Sakhalin railways) followed Moscow Time. From 2018 time tables follow local time. Airports and flights follow local time.

Tz Database

For Russia, the tz database contains several zones in the file zone.tab.

List of zones

The list below shows the 16 zones for Russia as defined in the file zone.tab of the database. The database aims to identify regions that had the same time offset rules since 1970.

Two federal subjects are contained in more than one tz zone. The Sakha Republic is divided into three: west, central, east. Sakhalin Oblast is divided into two: Sakhalin Island with Kurilsky and Yuzhno-Kurilsky districts in the Kuril Islands, and Severo-Kurilsky District in the Kuril Islands.

On the last Sunday in October 2011, daylight-saving time ended in tzdata, but all zones moved forward one hour. In other words, the clocks did not change, but the names of the time zones reverted permanently to their standard time variants and there will be no more daylight-saving time.

If available, the change column lists the offset changes that caused a creation of a new zone in the tz database.

"Initial zone" means that in 1970 there was already a difference in time offset from the offsets in any other zone.

Deleted zones

Asia/Ulan Ude was a time zone identifier from the zone file of the tz database. The reference point was Ulan-Ude. It was added in tz version 2011e. Edition 2011i did not contain it anymore. The area remained at Asia/Irkutsk. The contained data in zone.tab was:

RU
+5150+10736
Asia/Ulan_Ude
Moscow+05 – Buryatia

The covered area was Republic of Buryatia.

See also

• Decree time

References

1. Federal law of 3 June 2011 no. 107-FZ (as amended on 14 April 2023) "On the calculation of time", Article 5. Time zones, Consultant Plus (in Russian).
2. Russia time zones map with current local time, World Time Zone, 28 October 2018.
3. Time Zones Currently Being Used in Russia, Timeanddate.com.
4. Population of the Russian Federation by municipalities, Federal State Statistics Service of Russia. (in Russian)
5. "Медведев отменил зимнее время". Lenta.ru. 8 February 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
6. Russian clocks go back for last time, BBC News, 25 October 2014
7. ^ "Time Zone & Clock Changes in Moscow, Russia". timeanddate.com.
8. Clock Changes in Ust-Nera, Russia in 1981. Timeanddate.com.
9. Clock Changes in Anadyr, Russia in 1982. Timeanddate.com.
10. Clock Changes in Saratov, Russia in 1988. Timeanddate.com.
11. Clock Changes in Volgograd, Russia in 1988. Timeanddate.com.
12. Clock Changes in Samara, Russia in 1991. Timeanddate.com.
13. Time changes in year 1993 for Russia – Novosibirsk. Timeanddate.com. Retrieved on 2014-06-07.
14. Clock Changes in Barnaul, Russia in 1995. Timeanddate.com.
15. Clock Changes in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia in 1997. Timeanddate.com.
16. Clock Changes in Tomsk, Russia in 2002. Timeanddate.com.
17. Правительство Российской Федерации. Постановление №166 от 17 марта 2010 г. «О применении на территории Удмуртской Республики времени второго часового пояса». Опубликован: "Российская Газета", №58, 22 марта 2010 г. (Government of the Russian Federation. Resolution #166 of 17 March 2010 On Using the Time of the Second Time Zone on the Territory of the Udmurt Republic. ).
18. Правительство Российской Федерации. Постановление №170 от 19 марта 2010 г. «О применении на территории Самарской области времени второго часового пояса». Опубликован: "Российская Газета", №58, 22 марта 2010 г. (Government of the Russian Federation. Resolution #170 of 19 March 2010 On Using the Time of the Second Time Zone on the Territory of Samara Oblast. ).
19. Правительство Российской Федерации. Постановление №740 от 14 сентября 2009 г. «О применении на территории Кемеровской области времени пятого часового пояса». (Government of the Russian Federation. Resolution #740 of 14 September 2009 On Using the Time of the Fifth Time Zone on the Territory of Kemerovo Oblast. ).
20. Правительство Российской Федерации. Постановление №171 от 19 марта 2010 г. «О применении на территории Камчатского края и Чукотского автономного округа времени десятого часового пояса». Опубликован: "Российская Газета", №58, 22 марта 2010 г. (Government of the Russian Federation. Resolution #171 of 19 March 2010 On Using the Time of the Tenth Time Zone on the Territory of Kamchatka Krai and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. ).
21. "Thousands Protest Time Zone Changes in Russia". 13 December 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
22. Постановление Правительства Российской Федерации № 725 от 31 августа 2011 г. «О составе территорий, образующих каждую часовую зону, и порядке исчисления времени в часовых зонах, а также о признании утратившими силу отдельных постановлений Правительства Российской Федерации».
23. "Crimea switches to Moscow time amid incorporation frenzy". Reuters. 29 March 2014.
24. "New Russian time zones and the corresponding areas from October 26, 2014", World Time Zone, 22 July 2014.
25. "Russia Moving to Permanent Winter Time From October 26", RIA Novosti 22 July 2014, retrieved 26 July 2014
26. Russia Changes Several Time Zones, Timeanddate.com, 17 March 2016.
27. Russia Changes Time Zone in Magadan, Timeanddate.com, 7 April 2016.
28. "Time Zone & Clock Changes in Magadan, Russia".
29. Proposed Time Change in Tomsk, Russia, Timeanddate.com, 27 April 2016.
30. Proposed Time Change in Novosibirsk, Russia, Timeanddate.com, 4 July 2016.
31. Proposed Time Change in Saratov, Russia, Timeanddate.com, 14 November 2016.
32. Vladimir Putin signed law on time change in Saratov Oblast, Vzglyad-info, 22 November 2016. (in Russian)
33. New Time Zone in Russia's Volgograd Region, Timeanddate.com, 3 October 2018.
34. New Time Zone in Russia's Volgograd Region, Timeanddate.com, 17 December 2020.
35. Federal law of 22 December 2020 no. 432-FZ "On amendments to article 5 of federal law 'On the calculation of time'", Official internet portal of legal information of Russia. (in Russian)
36. New Russian regions to switch to Moscow time – Industry and Trade Ministry, TASS Russian News Agency, 27 January 2023.
37. New regions' move to Moscow time zone 'symbolic' – Kremlin, TASS Russian News Agency, 17 April 2023.
38. "Russian trains to end dependence on Moscow time". Business Standard. India. 25 July 2018.
39. Russian Railways – Time tables
40. for example http://www.iktport.ru/
41. Новости NEWSru.com :: С 1 мая Томская область перешла в новый часовой пояс. Newsru.com. Retrieved on 2014-06-07.
42. proposed time zone package changes. Gmane. Retrieved on 2014-06-07.
43. proposeed time zone package changes Chile Russia Irkutsk Buryatia Morocco. Gmane. Retrieved on 2014-06-07.

External links

• Map of time zones in Russia

• Time in Russia
• Geography of Russia