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'Omsk Time' ('OMST') is the time zone 6 hours ahead of UTC (UTC+6) and 3 hours ahead of Moscow Time (MSK+3). Omsk Summer Time (OMSST) is UTC+7, still 3 hours ahead of Moscow (MSD+3). It is the official time in Omsk Oblast and, as of 2006, most other West Siberian regions in Russia (although there, it is interchangeably referred to as "Novosibirsk Time", see Use below). During the northern winter, the time zone is also used in central and eastern Kazakhstan and all of Kyrgyzstan.

Contents

History

Use

History

Until 1991, Omsk Time was one of the two time zones used in Soviet Central Asia. In addition to Omsk Oblast in the Russian SFSR, it covered the eastern two thirds of Kazakh SSR, all of Kyrgyz and Tajik SSRs, and eastern Uzbek SSR. This included the city of Omsk and the capitals Alma-Ata, Frunze (Bishkek), Dushanbe and Tashkent.
For two years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Omsk oblast remained the only region in Russia in this time zone. The newly independent Central Asian states ceased to observe daylight saving time, while Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in addition "moved west" by adjusting the clocks one hour back.
In 1990s-2000s, Russia experienced a countrywide wave of clock shifts towards Moscow. By 2006, all except one of Western Siberia's Moscow+4 regions moved to Moscow+3, merging into Omsk Time: Novosibirsk Oblast in 1993 [1], Altai Krai in 1994 [2], Tomsk Oblast on May 1st, 2002 [3], and Altai Republic on an unknown date. Kemerovo Oblast remains the only region in the area on Moscow+4 "Krasnoyarsk Time".

Use

Although the standard Omsk and Novosibirsk time zones are currently identical, each name is still in use depending on context, which is sometimes confusing or even contradictory. The term "Omsk Time" is mostly used in Omsk or when emphasizing the traditional Moscow+3 zone, as in "Tomsk followed Novosibirsk into the Omsk Time Zone". The term "Novosibirsk Time" is more widely used in the remainder of West Siberia, enforced by the common Moscow+4 past. Outdated and incorrect information is still rampant, including one-hour-early New Year's broadcast on national TV channels for Barnaul and Tomsk.
Major cities in the Omsk Time Zone:

★ Almaty (during northern winter)

★ Astana (during northern winter)

★ Barnaul

★ Bishkek (during northern winter)

★ Novosibirsk

★ Omsk

★ Tomsk