Coming Closer

Vasiliy Avchenko

Last weekend, Russia reverted to standard time. But there are people in the country’s Far East who would like to put their clocks back by more that one hour. They believe shifting time zones can make Vladivostok closer to Moscow and help the development of their region

Photo: SXC

Currently, the time difference between Moscow and Vladivostok is seven hours, but local lawmakers would like to make it four instead. If the change is approved, “the country will be seen more compact” said Vladivostok parliament deputy Gennady Lazarev, who believes the same reform should be introduced in the whole “enormous territory between Moscow and Vladivostok”.

Far-Eastern officials often have working contacts with their counterparts in the capital, which is rather inconvenient, as it is already 4 p.m. in Vladivostok, while still early morning in Moscow. The seven-hour difference makes then hold working conversations until late at night. And all locals who have to communicate with the Western part of Russia have encountered this problem – representatives of companies that have headquarters in Moscow, reporters of central media. The time difference is also an issue for those traveling between the two cities, as it is not easy to adapt to local time, whichever direction one flies to.

Lawmakers who have come up with the idea believe the reform should be gradual. Every autumn, their Far-Eastern region of Primorye will revert to standard time, without shifting to daylight saving time in Spring. Thus, it will take three years to reduce the difference from seven to four hours, as it was in the Tsarist Russia.

Of course, the reform will bring new complications. In case it is approved, the sun will rise in Vladivostok three hours earlier, which cannot please all the locals. But on the other hand, there is China, a country that has only one time zone – Beijing time.

After the idea is made draft law by Primorye lawmakers, we shall see what the federal authorities may think of it. And in fact, it will also have to be negotiated with neighboring regions of Khabarovsk and Magadan.