Ukraine ditches daylight saving: A permanent time shift
The practice of changing the clocks, observed by about 40% of countries, will soon come to an end in Ukraine. This country will turn back the clocks for the final time in October, opting for a permanent time zone.
Currently, only about 40% of countries worldwide implement the time change. Most European countries continue to use this system. Countries that have discontinued this practice include Iceland and Belarus. Ukraine will soon join them, turning back the clocks for the last time on the night of the 27th to the 28th of October, and will permanently adopt a fixed time zone.
New time regulations in Ukraine
According to the Ukrinform portal, Ukrainians will set their clocks back by one hour at 2 a.m. on October 27th GMT, extending the day by one hour. Ukraine is abandoning the time change for political reasons, but its citizens' health concerns are also significant. This is why other countries have also taken this step, concerning disturbances in biorhythms, as noted by the merkur.de service.
Moreover, synchronising the country with Kyiv time aims to resist Russian influences in Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories. The document suggests that introducing a unified time system will aid in the de-occupation and reintegration of these areas.
Logistical challenges related to time change
When clocks are set back to winter time, almost all passenger traffic has to be halted for an hour, requiring carriers to implement special timetables. The time change also affects businesses, which must organise their employees' work schedules accordingly. When setting back the clocks, they are obliged to pay additional wages for overtime.
