Ukraine to switch to winter time for last time on night of October 27

Ukraine will turn the clocks back for the last time on the night of 27 October to permanently adopt winter hours.

This is stipulated by Law No. 4201 adopted by the Verkhovna Rada, which abolishes the transition from summer to winter time and vice versa, Ukrinform reports.

Thus, on October 27, at 4 a.m., Ukrainians will set their clocks back one hour. This means that the day will automatically increase by one hour.

Kyiv Time, UTC+2, is being introduced in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian law on timekeeping aims to address not only the legal basis for timekeeping in Ukraine but also to protect the country's territorial integrity and strengthen its national security. This is particularly relevant as the time of the aggressor state, the Russian Federation, is established in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Therefore, the adoption of unified Kyiv time across Ukraine will reinforce Ukraine's security position and contribute to the de-occupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories.

As reported, the time change in Ukraine has previously occurred twice a year. On the last Sunday of March, the country switched to daylight saving time, and on the last Sunday of October, it switched to winter time.

On March 3, 2021, the Verkhovna Rada adopted at first reading the draft law “On Timekeeping in Ukraine”, but on March 19, only 212 deputies backed the bill at second reading. The bill was subsequently returned for revision.