Moscow Time

Moscow operates on Moscow Standard Time (MSK), permanently fixed at UTC+3. Unlike most European countries — and unlike Moscow's own historical practice — Russia abolished daylight saving time in 2014 under President Vladimir Putin. The clocks have not moved since March 2014, when Russia sprang forward to UTC+4 briefly before permanently settling on UTC+3 later that year.

This means Moscow time never changes. There is no spring-forward, no fall-back, no transition window. Every day of the year, Moscow is exactly 3 hours ahead of UTC, 8 hours ahead of New York in winter, and 7 hours ahead in summer (when New York is on EDT UTC-4).

The political context: Russia first abolished DST in 2011 under Medvedev, permanently staying on summer time (UTC+4 for Moscow), which resulted in very dark winter mornings. In 2014, Putin shifted back to the permanent winter time position (UTC+3), which gave lighter mornings but meant Moscow effectively dropped out of summer time entirely.

For comparison with European capitals that still observe DST, see time in Berlin. For a global overview, check our world clock.

Russia spans 11 time zones — more than any other country on Earth, covering roughly 170° of longitude from Kaliningrad in the west to the Chukotka peninsula in the far east, just 50 miles from Alaska. A flight from Moscow to Vladivostok on the Pacific coast crosses 7 time zones and takes about 9 hours.

Russia's official time zones (all permanently fixed, no DST since 2014):

Notable facts:

• Russia's westernmost city, Kaliningrad (an exclave between Poland and Lithuania), is geographically in Central Europe and runs on UTC+2
• Vladivostok (UTC+10) is 7 hours ahead of Moscow
• Chukotka (UTC+12) is 9 hours ahead of Moscow and is one of the first places in the world to see each new day
• A single Russian business headquartered in Moscow must deal with internal time coordination spanning 10 hours of difference

For American context: the continental US spans 4 time zones (3 hours). Russia's domestic spread is nearly 3 times that.

Because Moscow never changes its clocks, the Moscow–US offset fluctuates only when the US observes daylight saving time. This creates two distinct offset seasons from the US perspective.

Winter (first Sunday of November to second Sunday of March — US on standard time):

Summer (second Sunday of March to first Sunday of November — US on DST):

Key insight: Because Russia no longer observes DST but the US does, the gap shrinks by one hour each spring when the US springs forward, then returns to its winter value each fall when the US falls back. This means American professionals dealing with Moscow have to track only the US DST dates — Moscow's time never changes.

The brief EU-Russia window: In late March, there's a 2–3 week period when Europe has switched to summer time but the US hasn't yet. During this window, the Europe-to-Moscow and Europe-to-US offsets both shift, creating a brief unusual triangle of times for anyone coordinating across all three regions.

For live New York time, see our New York time page.

The tables below cover both seasonal offsets. Moscow is 8 hours ahead of New York in winter and 7 hours ahead in summer.

Winter (US on EST — 8-hour gap):

Summer (US on EDT — 7-hour gap):

Best overlap window: In summer, 17:00–19:00 Moscow corresponds to 10:00–12:00 New York — the most practical window for transatlantic calls. In winter, the same New York morning (09:00–12:00 ET) corresponds to 17:00–20:00 Moscow, when most Russians have already left or are leaving the office.

The Moscow Exchange (MOEX) is Russia's primary stock exchange, formed in 2011 from the merger of MICEX (currency and stock exchange) and RTS (equities). It operates the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange and trades equities, bonds, currency pairs (including USD/RUB), derivatives, and commodities.

MOEX's benchmark equity index is the MOEX Russia Index (formerly MICEX Index), which tracks the 50 most liquid Russian companies. A USD-denominated counterpart, the RTS Index, tracks similar companies priced in US dollars and is the one US investors typically follow.

MOEX Trading Schedule (all times MSK, UTC+3):

Note: Due to international sanctions imposed after February 2022, direct US investor access to MOEX is heavily restricted. Many American brokerages suspended trading in Russian securities. The exchange data above is provided for informational purposes and for professionals monitoring the exchange for geopolitical context.

MOEX timing note for analysts: Russia's fixed UTC+3 time means MOEX hours in New York time shift by one hour depending on US DST. During US winter, the MOEX main session runs 02:00–10:39 ET. During US summer, it runs 03:00–11:39 ET.

Moscow is a megacity of roughly 12 million people (metro area 20+ million), the largest city in Europe and the ninth largest in the world. Its sheer scale means understanding its infrastructure timing is practical knowledge for anyone transiting through or working with Russian contacts.

Moscow's Major Airports:

Sheremetyevo handles most international flights, including Aeroflot's hub. The Aeroexpress train connects all three airports directly to central Moscow rail stations (Belorussky, Paveletsky, Kievsky respectively) and runs roughly 05:00–01:00 daily.

Moscow Metro: The Moscow Metro is one of the world's most used and ornate subway systems — some stations are architectural showpieces built in the Stalin era. Key time facts:

• Opens daily at 05:30 MSK
• Closes daily at 01:00 MSK (some lines until 01:30)
• No 24-hour service; plan late nights accordingly
• Carries approximately 9 million passengers daily — among the world's busiest

Moscow work schedule:

Moscow's restaurant and nightlife scene peaks late — many popular restaurants don't fill up until 21:00, and Moscow's club scene (which rivals Berlin in some circles) runs through the night on weekends.

For the Western European comparison, see time in Berlin or check our full world clock for live times across every major Russian and European city.