Time in Russia
Encyclopedia
There are nine time zone
s in Russia
, which currently observe times ranging from UTC+03:00 to UTC+12:00. UTC+05:00 is not used.
. However, it was abandoned by a Decree
of the Soviet government five months later.
Daylight saving time was reintroduced in the USSR on April 1, 1981, by a decision of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. Daylight saving time began on the 1st of April and ended on the 1st of October each year, until mid-1984, when the USSR began following European daylight saving time rules
, moving clocks forward one hour at 02:00 local winter time on the last Sunday in March, and back one hour at 03:00 local daylight time on the last Sunday in September until 1995, after which the change back occurred on the last Sunday in October. The usage of daylight saving time continued after the Soviet collapse but ended in 2011, when Russia stopped observing daylight saving time.
On February 8, 2011, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
issued a decree that Russia would observe year-round DST. Under the decree, all clocks in Russia were advanced one hour on 27 March 2011 as usual, but are not to change back the following October, effectively making Moscow Time UTC+4
permanently. Since this reform, most Russian territories have a standard time ahead of mean solar time
, including time in some cites ahead it even by two hours. For example, St. Petersburg at 30°E (+2.0 h solar time) has UTC+4
, Yekaterinburg
at 60°E (+4.0 h) has UTC+6
, and Vladivostok
at 132°E (+8.8 h) has UTC+11
.
, most of the nation observed solar time
. During the late 19th century, Moscow Mean Time was introduced, originally at UTC+02:30
. However, when the Soviet Union was created, Moscow Time became UTC+02 and the various other time zones were introduced throughout Russia and the rest of the Soviet Union
. On June 21, 1930, the Soviet Union advanced all clocks by one hour, effectively making the nation run on daylight saving time all year. Russia and most republics in the Soviet Union turned their clocks back one hour on Mar 31, 1991, but Russia reversed this the following year.
In 1992, the Government of Russia issued a resolution establishing the borders of the eleven time zones dividing the country's territory. During the following years, various clauses of the resolution were superseded by other laws, re-assigning various federal subjects
to different time zones.
The only federal subjects to be in more than one time zone are the Sakha Republic, which is separated into areas which belong to the Yakutsk, Vladivostok and Magadan time zones, and Sakhalin Oblast
, which is in the Vladivostok (Sakhalin Island, and the two westernmost districts in the Kuril Islands
) and Magadan time zones (Severo-Kurilsky District
in the Kuril Islands
).
In November 2009, President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev
proposed reducing the number of time zones spanning the country, as well as the abolition of daylight saving time.
changed its time zone from MSK+4 to MSK+3. So the hour 22 May 23:00 to 24:00 existed twice.
The change occurred during DST effectively changing the offset from UTC+8 to UTC+7, the offset without DST was therefore changed from UTC+7 to UTC+6.
changed its time zone from MSK+4 to MSK+3.
changed its time zone from MSK+4 to MSK+3.
Although the Russian government wants to reduce the number of time zones even further, there have been protests in far-eastern Russia on the recent changes, including protests and a 20,000-strong petition in support of Kamchatka returning to UTC+12.
coming into operation.
As a result some districts of the Sakha Republic switched from Vladivostok Time to Yakutsk Time (Zone 7):
Some districts switched from Magadan Time to Vladivostok Time:
Blue Yakutsk Time
(MSK+6), pink Vladivostok Time
(MSK+7), red Magadan Time
(MSK+8).
(except Kaliningrad
and Sakhalin
railways) follow Moscow Time. Airports however follow local time.
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
.
Two zones, namely Asia/Omsk
and Asia/Novosibirsk
, each cover area that did not observe the same rule set since 1970, all now using Omsk Time
.
On last Sunday in October daylight-saving time will end in tzdata but at the same time all zones will move forward one hour.
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 already in 1970 there was a difference in time offset from the offsets in any other zone.
was a time zone
identifier from the zone file of the tz database. The reference point was Ulan-Ude
. It was added in 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.
and Sakha Republic each observe more than one offset.
Sakha Republic:
Sakhalin Oblast:
Time zone
A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
s in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, which currently observe times ranging from UTC+03:00 to UTC+12:00. UTC+05:00 is not used.
List of zones
Since March 2011, the time zones are as follows:| Time Zone Name | Zone Abbreviation(s) | UTC offset | Area covered | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaliningrad Time Kaliningrad Time Further-eastern European Time is since September 2011 defined as three hours ahead of UTC... |
USZ1 | UTC+03 | Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated on the Baltic coast. It has a population of The oblast forms the westernmost part of the Russian Federation, but it has no land connection to the rest of Russia. Since its creation it has been an exclave of the Russian SFSR and then the... (located in Europe) |
|
| Moscow Time Moscow Time Moscow Time is the time zone for the city of Moscow, Russia and most of western Russia, including Saint Petersburg. It is the second westernmost of the nine time zones of Russia. Moscow Time has been UTC+4 year-round since 27 March 2011.... |
MSK/MSD | UTC+04 | Most of European Russia European Russia European Russia refers to the western areas of Russia that lie within Europe, comprising roughly 3,960,000 square kilometres , larger in area than India, and spanning across 40% of Europe. Its eastern border is defined by the Ural Mountains and in the south it is defined by the border with... |
|
| Yekaterinburg Time Yekaterinburg Time Yekaterinburg Time is the time zone six hours ahead of UTC and 2 hours ahead of Moscow Time .In 2011, Russia moved to year-round daylight saving time... |
YEKST | UTC+06 | Bashkortostan Bashkortostan The Republic of Bashkortostan , also known as Bashkiria is a federal subject of Russia . It is located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains. Its capital is the city of Ufa... , Chelyabinsk Oblast Chelyabinsk Oblast -External links:*... , Khantia-Mansia Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug , also known as Yugra, is a federal subject of Russia . Population: The people native to the region are the Khanty and the Mansi, known collectively as Ob Ugric people... , Kurgan Oblast Kurgan Oblast Kurgan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kurgan. Population: -History:The oblast was formed on February 6, 1943, just when the Soviet Army decisively defeated Hitler's forces near Stalingrad... , Orenburg Oblast Orenburg Oblast Orenburg Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Orenburg. From 1938 to 1957, it bore the name Chkalov Oblast in honor of Valery Chkalov... , Perm Krai Perm Krai Perm Krai is a federal subject of Russia that came into existence on December 1, 2005 as a result of the 2004 referendum on the merger of Perm Oblast and Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug. The city of Perm became the administrative center of the new federal subject... , Sverdlovsk Oblast Sverdlovsk Oblast Sverdlovsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia located in the Urals Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Yekaterinburg formerly known as Sverdlovsk. Population: -Geography:... (partly in Europe), Tyumen Oblast Tyumen Oblast Tyumen Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Tyumen. The oblast has administrative jurisdiction over two autonomous okrugs—Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Tyumen is the largest city, with over half a million inhabitants... , and Yamalia Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug , is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the town of Salekhard. Population: -Geography and natural history:... |
|
| Omsk Time Omsk Time Omsk Time is the time zone seven hours ahead of UTC and 3 hours ahead of Moscow Time . It is the official time in Omsk Oblast and, , most other West Siberian regions in Russia... |
OMSST | UTC+07 | Altai Krai Altai Krai Altai Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It borders with, clockwise from the south, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo Oblasts, and the Altai Republic. The krai's administrative center is the city of Barnaul... , Altai Republic Altai Republic Altai Republic is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the town of Gorno-Altaysk. The area of the republic is . Population: -Geography:... , Novosibirsk Oblast Novosibirsk Oblast Novosibirsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia located in southwestern Siberia. Its administrative and economic center is the city of Novosibirsk. Population: -Overview:... , Kemerovo Oblast Kemerovo Oblast Kemerovo Oblast , also known as Kuzbass after the Kuznetsk Basin, is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia, where the West Siberian Plain meets the South Siberian mountains... , Omsk Oblast Omsk Oblast Omsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia. The oblast has an area of and a population of with the majority, 1.15 million, living in Omsk, the administrative center.... and Tomsk Oblast Tomsk Oblast Tomsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the southeastern West Siberian Plain, in the southwest of the Siberian Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Tomsk. Population:... |
|
| Krasnoyarsk Time Krasnoyarsk Time Krasnoyarsk Time is the time zone eight hours ahead of UTC and 4 hours ahead of Moscow Time . KRAT is the official time zone for central and east Siberian regions of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Khakassia and Tuva.... |
KRAST | UTC+08 | Khakassia Khakassia The Republic of Khakassia or Khakasiya is a federal subject of Russia located in south-central Siberia. Its capital city is Abakan, which is also the largest city in the republic... , Krasnoyarsk Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It is the second largest federal subject after the Sakha Republic, and Russia's largest krai, occupying an area of , which is 13% of the country's total territory. The administrative center of the krai is the city of Krasnoyarsk... and Tuva Tuva The Tyva Republic , or Tuva , is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders with the Altai Republic, the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, and the Republic of Buryatia in Russia and with Mongolia to the... |
|
| Irkutsk Time Irkutsk Time Irkutsk Time Zone is the time zone five hours ahead of Moscow Time .Before 27 March 2011, Irkutsk Time was eight hours ahead of UTC in winter and nine hours ahead of UTC in summer .... |
IRKST | UTC+09 | Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of Angara River, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska Rivers. The administrative center is the city of Irkutsk. Population: -History:... and Buryatia |
|
| Yakutsk Time Yakutsk Time Yakutsk Time or YAKT, is a time zone in Russia, named after Yakutsk, the capital of the Sakha Republic. It is ten hours ahead of UTC and six hours ahead of Moscow Time .On 27 March 2011, Russia moved to year-round daylight saving time... |
YAKST | UTC+10 UTC+10 UTC+10 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +10. This time is used in:-As standard time :*Australia **Queensland*Federated States of Micronesia**Chuuk, Yap and surrounding area... |
Amur Oblast Amur Oblast Amur Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , situated about east of Moscow on the banks of the Amur and Zeya Rivers. It shares its border with the Sakha Republic in the north, Khabarovsk Krai and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the east, People's Republic of China in the south, and Zabaykalsky... , western Sakha Republic and Zabaykalsky Krai |
|
| Vladivostok Time Vladivostok Time Vladivostok Time or VLAT, is a time zone in Russia, named after the city of Vladivostok. It is eleven hours ahead of UTC and seven hours ahead of Moscow Time .On 27 March 2011, Russia moved to year-round daylight saving time... |
VLAST | UTC+11 UTC+11 UTC+11 is an identifier for a +11 hour time offset from UTC. This time is used in:-As standard time :*Federated States of Micronesia**Kosrae, Pohnpei and surrounding area*New Caledonia*Solomon Islands*Vanuatu*Russia... |
Jewish Autonomous Oblast Jewish Autonomous Oblast The Jewish Autonomous Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated in the Russian Far East, bordering Khabarovsk Krai and Amur Oblast of Russia and Heilongjiang province of China. Its administrative center is the town of Birobidzhan.... , Khabarovsk Krai Khabarovsk Krai Khabarovsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Russian Far East. It lies mostly in the basin of the lower Amur River, but also occupies a vast mountainous area along the coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk, an arm of the Pacific Ocean. The administrative center of the krai is the... , Primorsky Krai Primorsky Krai Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok... , central Sakha Republic and Sakhalin Oblast Sakhalin Oblast Sakhalin Oblast is a federal subject of Russia comprising the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.The oblast has an area of 87,100 km² and a population of 546,695... (expect its easternmost district in the Kuril Islands Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater... ) |
|
| Magadan Time Magadan Time Magadan Time or MAGT, is a time zone in Russia, named after Magadan, the administrative center of Magadan Oblast. It is twelve hours ahead of UTC and eight hours ahead of Moscow Time .... |
MAGST | UTC+12 UTC+12 UTC+12:00 is an identifier for a +12 hour time offset from UTC. This time is used in:-As standard time :*Kiribati**Gilbert Islands and Banaba*Marshall Islands*Nauru*Russia**Chukotka Autonomous Okrug**Kamchatka Krai**Kuril Islands... |
Magadan Oblast Magadan Oblast Magadan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia in the Far Eastern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Magadan.... , eastern Sakha Republic, Severo-Kurilsky District Severo-Kurilsky District Severo-Kurilsky District is an administrative district , one of the 17 in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia.... of the Sakhalin Oblast Sakhalin Oblast Sakhalin Oblast is a federal subject of Russia comprising the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.The oblast has an area of 87,100 km² and a population of 546,695... , Chukotka Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , or Chukotka , is a federal subject of Russia located in the Russian Far East.Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census, and a surface area of . The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr... and Kamchatka Krai |
Daylight saving time
Daylight saving time in Russia was originally introduced on July 1, 1917 by a decree of the Russian Provisional GovernmentRussian Provisional Government
The Russian Provisional Government was the short-lived administrative body which sought to govern Russia immediately following the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II . On September 14, the State Duma of the Russian Empire was officially dissolved by the newly created Directorate, and the country was...
. However, it was abandoned by a Decree
Soviet Decrees
Decrees were legislative acts of the highest Soviet institutions, primarily of the Council of People's Commissars and of the Supreme Soviet or VTsIK , issued between 1917 and 1924...
of the Soviet government five months later.
Daylight saving time was reintroduced in the USSR on April 1, 1981, by a decision of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. Daylight saving time began on the 1st of April and ended on the 1st of October each year, until mid-1984, when the USSR began following European daylight saving time rules
European Summer Time
European Summer Time is the arrangement in Europe by which clocks are advanced by one hour in spring to make the most of seasonal daylight. This is done in all of the countries of Europe except Iceland which observes Greenwich Mean Time all year round, and Russia, which has two time zones in...
, moving clocks forward one hour at 02:00 local winter time on the last Sunday in March, and back one hour at 03:00 local daylight time on the last Sunday in September until 1995, after which the change back occurred on the last Sunday in October. The usage of daylight saving time continued after the Soviet collapse but ended in 2011, when Russia stopped observing daylight saving time.
On February 8, 2011, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
issued a decree that Russia would observe year-round DST. Under the decree, all clocks in Russia were advanced one hour on 27 March 2011 as usual, but are not to change back the following October, effectively making Moscow Time UTC+4
UTC+4
UTC+04:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +04. In ISO 8601 the associated time would be written as . This time is used in:Gulf Standard Time uses UTC+04.-As standard time :...
permanently. Since this reform, most Russian territories have a standard time ahead of mean solar time
Local mean time
Local mean time is a form of solar time that corrects the variations of local apparent time, forming a uniform time scale at a specific longitude...
, including time in some cites ahead it even by two hours. For example, St. Petersburg at 30°E (+2.0 h solar time) has UTC+4
UTC+4
UTC+04:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +04. In ISO 8601 the associated time would be written as . This time is used in:Gulf Standard Time uses UTC+04.-As standard time :...
, Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
at 60°E (+4.0 h) has UTC+6
UTC+6
UTC+06 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +06:00. This time is used in:-As standard time :*Bangladesh - previously used this as standard time and UTC+07:00 as daylight saving time*Bhutan...
, and Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
at 132°E (+8.8 h) has UTC+11
UTC+11
UTC+11 is an identifier for a +11 hour time offset from UTC. This time is used in:-As standard time :*Federated States of Micronesia**Kosrae, Pohnpei and surrounding area*New Caledonia*Solomon Islands*Vanuatu*Russia...
.
History of zone boundaries
In the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, most of the nation observed solar time
Solar time
Solar time is a reckoning of the passage of time based on the Sun's position in the sky. The fundamental unit of solar time is the day. Two types of solar time are apparent solar time and mean solar time .-Introduction:...
. During the late 19th century, Moscow Mean Time was introduced, originally at UTC+02:30
UTC+02:30
UTC+02:30 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +02:30. In ISO 8601 the associated time would be written as .During the late 19th Century, Moscow Mean Time was introduced in Russia, originally at UTC+02:30....
. However, when the Soviet Union was created, Moscow Time became UTC+02 and the various other time zones were introduced throughout Russia and the rest of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. On June 21, 1930, the Soviet Union advanced all clocks by one hour, effectively making the nation run on daylight saving time all year. Russia and most republics in the Soviet Union turned their clocks back one hour on Mar 31, 1991, but Russia reversed this the following year.
In 1992, the Government of Russia issued a resolution establishing the borders of the eleven time zones dividing the country's territory. During the following years, various clauses of the resolution were superseded by other laws, re-assigning various federal subjects
Federal subjects of Russia
Russia is a federation which, since March 1, 2008, consists of 83 federal subjects . In 1993, when the Constitution was adopted, there were 89 federal subjects listed...
to different time zones.
The only federal subjects to be in more than one time zone are the Sakha Republic, which is separated into areas which belong to the Yakutsk, Vladivostok and Magadan time zones, and Sakhalin Oblast
Sakhalin Oblast
Sakhalin Oblast is a federal subject of Russia comprising the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.The oblast has an area of 87,100 km² and a population of 546,695...
, which is in the Vladivostok (Sakhalin Island, and the two westernmost districts in the Kuril Islands
Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
) and Magadan time zones (Severo-Kurilsky District
Severo-Kurilsky District
Severo-Kurilsky District is an administrative district , one of the 17 in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia....
in the Kuril Islands
Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
).
In November 2009, President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
proposed reducing the number of time zones spanning the country, as well as the abolition of daylight saving time.
1993 zone boundary changes
On 23 may 1993 00:00:00, Novosibirsk OblastNovosibirsk Oblast
Novosibirsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia located in southwestern Siberia. Its administrative and economic center is the city of Novosibirsk. Population: -Overview:...
changed its time zone from MSK+4 to MSK+3. So the hour 22 May 23:00 to 24:00 existed twice.
The change occurred during DST effectively changing the offset from UTC+8 to UTC+7, the offset without DST was therefore changed from UTC+7 to UTC+6.
1995 zone boundary changes
In 1995, Altai KraiAltai Krai
Altai Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It borders with, clockwise from the south, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo Oblasts, and the Altai Republic. The krai's administrative center is the city of Barnaul...
changed its time zone from MSK+4 to MSK+3.
2002 zone boundary changes
In 2002, Tomsk OblastTomsk Oblast
Tomsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the southeastern West Siberian Plain, in the southwest of the Siberian Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Tomsk. Population:...
changed its time zone from MSK+4 to MSK+3.
2010 zone boundary changes
On March 28, 2010, the following changes were introduced, which, in particular, led to abolition of two of the eleven time zones.- The Udmurt RepublicUdmurtiaThe Udmurt Republic , or Udmurtia is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the city of Izhevsk. Population: -History:...
and Samara OblastSamara OblastSamara Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Samara. Population: In 1936–1990, it was known as Kuybyshev Oblast , after the Soviet name of Samara .-Demographics:Population:...
started using Moscow TimeMoscow TimeMoscow Time is the time zone for the city of Moscow, Russia and most of western Russia, including Saint Petersburg. It is the second westernmost of the nine time zones of Russia. Moscow Time has been UTC+4 year-round since 27 March 2011....
, thus eliminating Samara TimeSamara TimeSamara Time was the time zone 4 hours ahead of UTC and 1 hour ahead of Moscow Time . Samara Summer Time was UTC+5...
(MSK+1 or UTC+4 without DST). - Kemerovo OblastKemerovo OblastKemerovo Oblast , also known as Kuzbass after the Kuznetsk Basin, is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia, where the West Siberian Plain meets the South Siberian mountains...
started using Omsk TimeOmsk TimeOmsk Time is the time zone seven hours ahead of UTC and 3 hours ahead of Moscow Time . It is the official time in Omsk Oblast and, , most other West Siberian regions in Russia...
. - Chukotka Autonomous OkrugChukotka Autonomous OkrugChukotka Autonomous Okrug , or Chukotka , is a federal subject of Russia located in the Russian Far East.Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census, and a surface area of . The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr...
and Kamchatka Krai started using Magadan TimeMagadan TimeMagadan Time or MAGT, is a time zone in Russia, named after Magadan, the administrative center of Magadan Oblast. It is twelve hours ahead of UTC and eight hours ahead of Moscow Time ....
, thus eliminating Kamchatka TimeKamchatka TimeKamchatka Time or PETT, was a time zone in Russia, named after the Kamchatka Peninsula. It is 12 hours ahead of UTC and 9 hours ahead of Moscow Time...
(MSK+9 or UTC+12 without DST).
Although the Russian government wants to reduce the number of time zones even further, there have been protests in far-eastern Russia on the recent changes, including protests and a 20,000-strong petition in support of Kamchatka returning to UTC+12.
2011 zone boundary changes
The decree No. 725 (31 August 2011) defines Moscow Time and lists the zones, numbered 1 to 9 and in turn defined relative to Moscow Time. The offsets from UTC are altered, the reference zone, Moscow Time Zone, now uses UTC+04:00. This is similar to the 1930 USSR reform with decree timeDecree time
Decree time refers to the changes introduced to the USSR time system by a Sovnarkom decree of 16 June 1930. By this decree, all clocks in the Soviet Union were permanently shifted one hour ahead of standard time for each timezone....
coming into operation.
As a result some districts of the Sakha Republic switched from Vladivostok Time to Yakutsk Time (Zone 7):
- Tomponsky District
- Ust-Maysky District
Some districts switched from Magadan Time to Vladivostok Time:
- Oymyakonsky District (Sakha Republic)
- Kurilsky DistrictKurilsky DistrictKurilsky District is an administrative district , one of the 17 in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia....
and Yuzhno-Kurilsky District (Sakhalin Oblast)
Blue Yakutsk Time
Yakutsk Time
Yakutsk Time or YAKT, is a time zone in Russia, named after Yakutsk, the capital of the Sakha Republic. It is ten hours ahead of UTC and six hours ahead of Moscow Time .On 27 March 2011, Russia moved to year-round daylight saving time...
(MSK+6), pink Vladivostok Time
Vladivostok Time
Vladivostok Time or VLAT, is a time zone in Russia, named after the city of Vladivostok. It is eleven hours ahead of UTC and seven hours ahead of Moscow Time .On 27 March 2011, Russia moved to year-round daylight saving time...
(MSK+7), red Magadan Time
Magadan Time
Magadan Time or MAGT, is a time zone in Russia, named after Magadan, the administrative center of Magadan Oblast. It is twelve hours ahead of UTC and eight hours ahead of Moscow Time ....
(MSK+8).
Railway time
All timetables on Russian RailwaysRussian Railways
The Russian Railways , is the government owned national rail carrier of the Russian Federation, headquartered in Moscow. The Russian Railways operate over of common carrier routes as well as a few hundred kilometers of industrial routes, making it the second largest network in the world exceeded...
(except Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad Railway
The Kaliningrad Railway was separated from the Pribaltiyskaya Railway after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1992. It is the smallest subsidiary of the Russian Railways by route length and differs from other Russian railways in having a string of standard gauge lines. The railway is...
and Sakhalin
Sakhalin Railway
The Sakhalin Railway is a subsidiary of the Russian Railways that operates the Japanese-built railways in the south of Sakhalin. Its length was reduced from 1072 km in 1992 to 805 km in 2006. The headquarters are in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The prevalent Cape gauge is a major problem for the Russian...
railways) follow Moscow Time. Airports however follow local time.
Tz database
List of zones
The list below shows the 16 zones for Russia as defined in the file zone.tab of the tz database. The tz database aims to identify regions that had the same time offset rules since 1970.Two federal subjects
Federal subjects of Russia
Russia is a federation which, since March 1, 2008, consists of 83 federal subjects . In 1993, when the Constitution was adopted, there were 89 federal subjects listed...
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
Kurilsky District
Kurilsky District is an administrative district , one of the 17 in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia....
and Yuzhno-Kurilsky districts in the Kuril Islands
Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
, and Severo-Kurilsky District
Severo-Kurilsky District
Severo-Kurilsky District is an administrative district , one of the 17 in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia....
in the Kuril Islands
Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
.
Two zones, namely Asia/Omsk
Asia/Omsk
Asia/Omsk is a time zone identifier from the zone file of the tz database. The data is as follows: The reference point is Omsk.-Covered area :The covered area is Omsk Oblast, Altai Krai and Altai Republic....
and Asia/Novosibirsk
Asia/Novosibirsk
Asia/Novosibirsk is a time zone identifier from the zone file of the tz database. The data is as follows: The reference point is Novosibirsk.-Covered area:The covered area is Novosibirsk Oblast and Tomsk Oblast...
, each cover area that did not observe the same rule set since 1970, all now using Omsk Time
Omsk Time
Omsk Time is the time zone seven hours ahead of UTC and 3 hours ahead of Moscow Time . It is the official time in Omsk Oblast and, , most other West Siberian regions in Russia...
.
On last Sunday in October daylight-saving time will end in tzdata but at the same time all zones will move forward one hour.
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 already in 1970 there was a difference in time offset from the offsets in any other zone.
| C.c. | Coordinates | tzid | Comments | UTC offset (without DST Daylight saving time Daylight saving time —also summer time in several countries including in British English and European official terminology —is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less... , permanent since 2011) |
Covered area | Split from | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated on the Baltic coast. It has a population of The oblast forms the westernmost part of the Russian Federation, but it has no land connection to the rest of Russia. Since its creation it has been an exclave of the Russian SFSR and then the... . |
Initial zone. | |||
| Most of European Russia. Complete list given here. | Initial zone. | |||
| Kirov Oblast Kirov Oblast Kirov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kirov. Population: -History:In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Vyatka remained a place of exile for opponents of the tsarist regime, including many prominent revolutionary figures.In 1920, a number of... , Saratov Oblast Saratov Oblast Saratov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Volga Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Saratov. Population: -Demographics:Population:... , Volgograd Oblast Volgograd Oblast Volgograd Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Volgograd. Population: -Geography:*Area: 113,900 km²;*Borders length: 2221,9 km².... , and Astrakhan Oblast Astrakhan Oblast Astrakhan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Astrakhan.-Demographics:Population: Ethnic groups... . |
Europe/Samara | 1992-03-29 zone creation causing change from UTC+04 to UTC+03. | ||
| Samara Oblast Samara Oblast Samara Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Samara. Population: In 1936–1990, it was known as Kuybyshev Oblast , after the Soviet name of Samara .-Demographics:Population:... and Udmurtia Udmurtia The Udmurt Republic , or Udmurtia is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the city of Izhevsk. Population: -History:... . |
Initial zone. | 2010-03-28 change from UTC+04 to UTC+03. | ||
| Bashkortostan Bashkortostan The Republic of Bashkortostan , also known as Bashkiria is a federal subject of Russia . It is located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains. Its capital is the city of Ufa... , Chelyabinsk Oblast Chelyabinsk Oblast -External links:*... , Khantia-Mansia Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug , also known as Yugra, is a federal subject of Russia . Population: The people native to the region are the Khanty and the Mansi, known collectively as Ob Ugric people... , Kurgan Oblast Kurgan Oblast Kurgan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kurgan. Population: -History:The oblast was formed on February 6, 1943, just when the Soviet Army decisively defeated Hitler's forces near Stalingrad... , Orenburg Oblast Orenburg Oblast Orenburg Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Orenburg. From 1938 to 1957, it bore the name Chkalov Oblast in honor of Valery Chkalov... , Perm Krai Perm Krai Perm Krai is a federal subject of Russia that came into existence on December 1, 2005 as a result of the 2004 referendum on the merger of Perm Oblast and Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug. The city of Perm became the administrative center of the new federal subject... , Sverdlovsk Oblast Sverdlovsk Oblast Sverdlovsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia located in the Urals Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Yekaterinburg formerly known as Sverdlovsk. Population: -Geography:... , Tyumen Oblast Tyumen Oblast Tyumen Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Tyumen. The oblast has administrative jurisdiction over two autonomous okrugs—Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Tyumen is the largest city, with over half a million inhabitants... , and Yamalia Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug , is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the town of Salekhard. Population: -Geography and natural history:... . |
Initial zone. | |||
| Altai Krai Altai Krai Altai Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It borders with, clockwise from the south, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo Oblasts, and the Altai Republic. The krai's administrative center is the city of Barnaul... , Altai Republic Altai Republic Altai Republic is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the town of Gorno-Altaysk. The area of the republic is . Population: -Geography:... , and Omsk Oblast Omsk Oblast Omsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia. The oblast has an area of and a population of with the majority, 1.15 million, living in Omsk, the administrative center.... . |
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| Novosibirsk Oblast Novosibirsk Oblast Novosibirsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia located in southwestern Siberia. Its administrative and economic center is the city of Novosibirsk. Population: -Overview:... and Tomsk Oblast Tomsk Oblast Tomsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the southeastern West Siberian Plain, in the southwest of the Siberian Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Tomsk. Population:... . |
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| Kemerovo Oblast Kemerovo Oblast Kemerovo Oblast , also known as Kuzbass after the Kuznetsk Basin, is a federal subject of Russia , located in southwestern Siberia, where the West Siberian Plain meets the South Siberian mountains... . |
Asia/Novosibirsk | 2010-03-28 Zone creation causing change from Krasnoyarsk Time to Novosibirsk Time http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.time.tz/2955/match=novokuznetsk | ||
| Khakassia Khakassia The Republic of Khakassia or Khakasiya is a federal subject of Russia located in south-central Siberia. Its capital city is Abakan, which is also the largest city in the republic... , Krasnoyarsk Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia . It is the second largest federal subject after the Sakha Republic, and Russia's largest krai, occupying an area of , which is 13% of the country's total territory. The administrative center of the krai is the city of Krasnoyarsk... , and Tuva Republic. |
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| Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of Angara River, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska Rivers. The administrative center is the city of Irkutsk. Population: -History:... and Buryatia. |
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| Amur Oblast Amur Oblast Amur Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , situated about east of Moscow on the banks of the Amur and Zeya Rivers. It shares its border with the Sakha Republic in the north, Khabarovsk Krai and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the east, People's Republic of China in the south, and Zabaykalsky... , Zabaykalsky Krai, and western Sakha Republic. |
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| Jewish Autonomous Oblast Jewish Autonomous Oblast The Jewish Autonomous Oblast is a federal subject of Russia situated in the Russian Far East, bordering Khabarovsk Krai and Amur Oblast of Russia and Heilongjiang province of China. Its administrative center is the town of Birobidzhan.... , Khabarovsk Krai Khabarovsk Krai Khabarovsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Russian Far East. It lies mostly in the basin of the lower Amur River, but also occupies a vast mountainous area along the coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk, an arm of the Pacific Ocean. The administrative center of the krai is the... , Primorsky Krai Primorsky Krai Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok... , and central Sakha Republic. |
Initial zone. | |||
| Sakhalin Island, and western Kuril Islands Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater... . |
Asia/Magadan | 1997-03-30 Zone creation causing change from UTC+11 UTC+11 UTC+11 is an identifier for a +11 hour time offset from UTC. This time is used in:-As standard time :*Federated States of Micronesia**Kosrae, Pohnpei and surrounding area*New Caledonia*Solomon Islands*Vanuatu*Russia... to UTC+10. |
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| Magadan Oblast Magadan Oblast Magadan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia in the Far Eastern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Magadan.... , eastern Kuril Islands Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater... , and eastern Sakha Republic. |
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| Kamchatka Krai. | Initial zone. | 2010-03-28 change from UTC+12 UTC+12 UTC+12:00 is an identifier for a +12 hour time offset from UTC. This time is used in:-As standard time :*Kiribati**Gilbert Islands and Banaba*Marshall Islands*Nauru*Russia**Chukotka Autonomous Okrug**Kamchatka Krai**Kuril Islands... to UTC+11. |
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| Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , or Chukotka , is a federal subject of Russia located in the Russian Far East.Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census, and a surface area of . The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr... . |
Initial zone. | 1982-04-01 changed from UTC+13 UTC+13 UTC+13 is an identifier for a +13 hour time offset from UTC.This time is used as standard time in:*Kiribati**Phoenix Islands *Tonga-Samoa and Tokelau:... to UTC+12 UTC+12 UTC+12:00 is an identifier for a +12 hour time offset from UTC. This time is used in:-As standard time :*Kiribati**Gilbert Islands and Banaba*Marshall Islands*Nauru*Russia**Chukotka Autonomous Okrug**Kamchatka Krai**Kuril Islands... , 2010-03-28 from UTC+12 to UTC+11. |
Deleted zones
Asia/Ulan UdeAsia/Ulan Ude
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 2011e . Edition 2011i did not contain it anymore.The area remained at Asia/Irkutsk....
was a time zone
Time zone
A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
identifier from the zone file of the tz database. The reference point was Ulan-Ude
Ulan-Ude
Ulan-Ude is the capital city of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia, located about southeast of Lake Baikal on the Uda River at its confluence with the Selenga...
. It was added in 2011e. Edition 2011i did not contain it anymore. The area remained at Asia/Irkutsk
Asia/Irkutsk
Asia/Irkutsk is a time zone identifier from the zone file of the tz database. The data is as follows: The reference point is Irkutsk-Covered area :The covered area is Irkutsk Oblast....
.
The contained data in zone.tab was:
RU
+5150+10736
Asia/Ulan_Ude
Moscow+05 - Buryatia
The covered area was Republic of Buryatia.
Federal subjects with multiple offsets at the same time
Per law of 2011 the territories of Sakhalin OblastSakhalin Oblast
Sakhalin Oblast is a federal subject of Russia comprising the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.The oblast has an area of 87,100 km² and a population of 546,695...
and Sakha Republic each observe more than one offset.
Sakha Republic:
- UTC+10 MSK+6 Asia/YakutskAsia/YakutskAsia/Yakutsk is a time zone identifier from the zone file of the tz database. The data is as follows: The reference point is Yakutsk.-Covered area :The covered area is Amur Oblast, Zabaykalsky Krai, western Sakha Republic....
- UTC+11 MSK+7 Asia/VladivostokAsia/VladivostokAsia/Vladivostok is a time zone identifier from the zone file of the tz database. The data is as follows: The reference point is Vladivostok.-Covered area :...
- UTC+12 MSK+8 Asia/MagadanAsia/MagadanAsia/Magadan is a time zone identifier from the zone file of the tz database. The data is as follows: The reference point is Magadan....
Sakhalin Oblast:
- UTC+11 MSK+7 All except Severo-Kurilsky DistrictSevero-Kurilsky DistrictSevero-Kurilsky District is an administrative district , one of the 17 in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia....
in the Kuril IslandsKuril IslandsThe Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
~ Asia/SakhalinAsia/SakhalinAsia/Sakhalin is a time zone identifier from the zone file of the tz database. The data is as follows: The reference point is Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk-Covered area :The covered area is Sakhalin Island.... - UTC+12 MSK+8 Severo-Kurilsky DistrictSevero-Kurilsky DistrictSevero-Kurilsky District is an administrative district , one of the 17 in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia....
in the Kuril IslandsKuril IslandsThe Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
~ Asia/MagadanAsia/MagadanAsia/Magadan is a time zone identifier from the zone file of the tz database. The data is as follows: The reference point is Magadan....