In the small, 30,000-strong town of Goryachy Klyuch (Hot Springs), the Krasnodar region of Russia, the local population switched to winter time two weeks ago.
On January 1, all institutions the town started to open an hour later, as if Russia switched one hour back for winter time. The decision was based on numerous complaints from parents of students, who find it very difficult to wake up and go to schools in the dark.
The new working regime for the administration of the town and its subdivisions was approved on Dec. 13 by Mayor Nikolai Shvarman.
It was said earlier that Russia may switch to winter time again in the spring of 2014, after the Olympic Games in Sochi. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev canceled winter time in 2011.