Time change - Ukraine abolishes summer time
The Ukraine has abolished the switch to daylight saving time starting from next year. According to Interfax agency, 261 parliamentarians voted for the bill. 226 votes were required.
The change was also justified with health arguments. Shifting the clock hands leads to changes in people's biorhythms, which negatively affects their physical and psychological condition. "After the clock hands are turned, citizens feel worse, their productivity decreases, and a significant worsening of chronic diseases is observed," the explanation to the law states. No energy savings could be observed with daylight saving time.
Moreover, the legislators emphasized the demarcation from the Russian war adversary through law. "Therefore, the introduction and fixing of an all-encompassing Kiev time in the entire Ukraine will again strengthen the security position of Ukraine and contribute to the evacuation and reintegration of previously occupied territories," the authors of the law stressed.
Since 2011, Ukraine has been in the same summer time zone as Moscow.
Almost a fifth of Ukrainian territory is occupied by Russia. As a side effect of Russia abolishing daylight saving time in 2011, Ukrainian summer time has since then been the same as the all-year Moscow time.
In the future, Central European Summer Time in Ukraine will align with Kiev Time. However, in the European Union, there has been a discussion about abolishing daylight saving time for a longer time.
Daylight saving time applies in Ukraine, as in the European Union, from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. During this period, the clocks are set forward by one hour in March, making it lighter in the evening hours. In October, then, the clock hands are turned back by one hour and the return to standard time occurs.
- The decision by Ukraine to abandon daylight saving time could potentially lead to a time shift difference between Ukraine and the European Union during the summer months.
- In a bid to distance itself from Russia, the Ukrainian Parliament voted to establish a permanent Kiev Time across the entire country, aligning it with the all-year Moscow time that Russia still uses.
- Some novel ideas have been proposed in Brussels regarding the potential permanent abolition of daylight saving time within the European Union, following discussions about its energy savings and health impacts.
- Interfax reported that a majority of parliamentarians in Kiev voted in favor of upholding the Ukrainian summer time as it currently stands, aligning with Central European Summer Time instead of shifting to match the Russian time zone.
- The shift away from daylight saving time in Ukraine has been framed as a boost to the nation's security position, promoting the reintegration of previously occupied territories and fortifying Ukraine's distinction from its nearby adversary, Russia.
