A senior lawmaker on Monday submitted a bill to the State Duma that would permanently set clocks to winter time in Russia.
More than 100 deputies from the four Duma factions have signed the bill, including around 12 members from the ruling United Russia party, said Sergei Kalashnikov, head of the Duma Committee on Public Health and one of the bill's authors.
Russia has been living in permanent "summer time" since 2011, when an initiative by then-President Dmitry Medvedev saw clocks being moved forward in March, but not put back in the fall.
Kalashnikov, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, or LDPR, has long crusaded against the switch, saying in 2012 that it has condemned the population to increased stress and worsening health.
The current bill would not restore the seasonal changing of clocks currently observed in the West, however. If accepted, it will move Russia from Medvedev's "eternal summer" to year round winter time.
"With the adoption of the bill Russians will start living by astronomical time, as in natural; already the legally required seasonal changing of the clocks has been canceled," Kalashnikov said Monday, RIA Novosti reported.
Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin said that a lot of people support the idea of switching to winter time and that, as such, the Duma will give the bill serious consideration.
United Russia party member Sergei Zheleznyak said that the bill is unlikely to be discussed until after the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi, which take place in February and March respectively.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
