You're reading: Ukraine switches to permanent daylight saving time

Ukraine's parliament voted on Tuesday to put the former Soviet republic permanently on daylight saving time, avoiding switching clocks back and forth between summer and winter.

The move, which follows the same decision in neighbouring Russia and Belarus, means local time in Ukraine will always be three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Ukrainian deputies said the constant switching between winter and summer time — which helps save energy — harmed people’s health and caused stress.