Time change canceled? Will Ukraine switch to daylight saving time?

Back in the summer of 2024, the Verkhovna Rada approved Bill No. 4201, which provides for the "fixing" of winter time in Ukraine. However, for the innovation to take effect, the document must be signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but he has not yet done so. RBC-Ukraine discusses whether Ukraine will switch to daylight saving time this year.

Will Ukraine switch to daylight saving time this year?

As of January 2025, Ukraine lives on winter time, which it switched to on the night of October 27, 2024. If the president does not sign Bill No. 4201 by the last Sunday in March, it means that the new rules will not come into force in time, and Ukraine will switch back to daylight saving time.

As a reminder, in spring, clocks are reset on the last Sunday of March; in 2025, this may happen on the night of March 30.

It should be noted that the adopted bill was submitted to Zelensky for signature in August last year. Anonymous sources from the President's Office had previously reported that the head of state was not going to sign the document at all.

Why do they change the clocks?

Every year in spring, clocks are set forward 1 hour from the standard time in order to make better use of daylight hours and save electricity for lighting. In the fall, they return to standard time.

The first time Ukraine switched to daylight saving time while still part of the USSR was in 1981. Until the fall of 1984, daylight saving time was introduced for the period from April 1 to October 1, and in the fall of 1984, the dates were changed from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in September.

After Ukraine regained its independence, the Cabinet of Ministers issued its own Resolution No. 509 of May 13, 1996, "On the Procedure for Calculating Time on the Territory of Ukraine."

The document stipulates that the time of the second time zone (Kyiv time) was introduced throughout Ukraine, with clocks being reset annually:

• on the last Sunday of March at 3 o'clock - 1 hour forward
• on the last Sunday of October at 4 o'clock - 1 hour back

Why do they want to cancel the time change?

The territory of Ukraine stretches from west to east for 1316 km. This makes it somewhat difficult to establish a single constant time zone throughout the country throughout the year. However, 85% of the territory is located within the second time zone, only a small part of Zakarpattia is in the first, and Luhansk region, Donetsk region, eastern parts of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions are in the third. Therefore, the establishment of a single constant time is realistic.

The question of the feasibility of time change has been raised in Ukraine for more than a decade. The bill No. 4201 was registered in the Rada in October 2020. It was authored by Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk. On July 16, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada voted in favor of the bill.

Deviation of time at the extreme points of Ukraine from standard time: the westernmost point is 31 minutes and 27 seconds back, the easternmost point is 40 minutes and 55 seconds forward (Wikipedia screenshot)

In his explanatory note, Stefanchuk argues that the change is aimed at protecting public health, , as most scientists and doctors believe that the annual "seasonal time jump" leads to changes in human biological rhythms and negatively affects their health. In addition, a number of countries have already abandoned this practice.

"The annual transition to daylight saving time and return to the belt time is currently used in about 60 countries. At the same time, about 140 countries have either never used seasonal time or have abandoned this practice. On March 26, 2019, the European Parliament also supported the idea of abolishing seasonal daylight saving time from 2021. The decision was made based on the results of an online vote held in EU countries, where 84% of residents voted in favor of abolishing daylight saving time," the explanatory note to draft law No. 4201 says.

Do Ukrainians want to cancel daylight saving time?

The initiative to abolish daylight saving time in Ukraine is viewed differently. Some experts support it, stating that the energy savings from the time change are not significant, but there are many opponents. Opinions also differ among ordinary Ukrainians.

Last fall, the Rating sociological group conducted a survey on the attitudes of Ukrainians toward the possible abolition of time change.

55% of respondents were in favor of ending daylight saving time, 39% were against it, and 7% were undecided.

The survey was conducted from September 27 to October 1, 2024 among 2000 adult residents of the government-controlled regions of Ukraine.

Results of the survey (Rating screenshot)

Author: Vasylina Kopytko