Time Zone History

Moscow time zone history

The record holds 8 different UTC offsets, tied for the most among all 312 zones. Moscow left local mean time (UTC+2:30:17) in 1880, tied for the earliest switch among the 26 zones in Russia. In 1921 the clocks were changed 4 times.

UTC+3

Standard time is UTC+3 (MSK) all year under the current rules.

Covers: Moscow area · tz database name Europe/Moscow

Convert a time from Moscow

Summer time in 30 of 57 years since 1970

UTC+2: 1 hour behind today’s standard timeUTC+2:30:17, UTC+2:31:19: behind today’s standard timeUTC+3: today’s standard timeUTC+3:31:19: 31 minutes ahead of today’s standard timeUTC+4: 1 hour ahead of today’s standard timeUTC+4:31:19, UTC+5: ahead of today’s standard timeUTC+2: 1 hour behind today’sstandard timeUTC+2:30:17, UTC+2:31:19: behindtoday’s standard timeUTC+3: today’s standard timeUTC+3:31:19: 31 minutes ahead oftoday’s standard timeUTC+4: 1 hour ahead of today’sstandard timeUTC+4:31:19, UTC+5: ahead oftoday’s standard time

How to read this chart

Before 1970

187018901910193019501970187019101950
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec1970198019902000201020202028JFMAMJJASOND1970198019902000201020202028

Standard time changes

DateChangeNew standard timeClock label
Before 1970
January 1, 1880Local mean time (UTC+2:30:17) replacedUTC+2:30:17MMT
July 3, 1916Standard time forward 1 minuteUTC+2:31:19MMT
July 1, 1919Standard time forward 29 minutesUTC+3MSK
October 1, 1922Standard time back 1 hourUTC+2EET
June 21, 1930Standard time forward 1 hourUTC+3MSK
Since 1970
March 31, 1991Summer offset kept as standard time; clocks did not moveUTC+2EET
January 19, 1992Standard time forward 1 hourUTC+3MSK
March 27, 2011Standard time forward 1 hourUTC+4MSK
October 26, 2014Standard time back 1 hourUTC+3MSK

Daylight saving periods

YearsClocks go forwardClocks go backShift and labels
1917July 1December 281 hour, MMT to MST
1918May 31September 162 hours, MMT to MDST
1919May 31August 161 hour, MST to MDST
1921February 14, March 20September 1, October 11 hour, MSK to MSD

Since 1970: the periods shared by 14 of 26 zones, listed on the Russia page.

Also on UTC+3

Belarus, Kirov (Russia), Volgograd (Russia), Simferopol (Ukraine), Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar (nearest first; 1 more on the list of offsets).

Clocks next door since 1970

  • Belarus (675 km): same time except 8,504 days in 1990 and 1992–2014.
  • Ulyanovsk (704 km): usually 1 hour ahead; different on 9,864 days in 1981–2016.
  • Saratov (723 km): usually 1 hour ahead; different on 10,228 days in 1981–2016.
  • Kyiv (Ukraine) (758 km): same time except 10,294 days in 1990 and 1992–2026; 1 hour behind today.
  • Lithuania (788 km): same time except 10,938 days in 1989–2026; 1 hour behind today.

How it compares

The latest change of standard time came on October 26, 2014, from UTC+4 to UTC+3.

Daylight saving time was used in 30 years since 1970, last in 2010; under the current rules the clocks no longer change.

Clocks were first moved for daylight saving in 1917, the second-earliest start of the 26 zones in Russia.

On standard time, clocks in Moscow run 30 minutes ahead of local mean solar time.