The RT map illustrating the article is about 20 years out of date. It is a Soviet era map, showing the Baltics on GMT +3, whereas in reality they are GMT +2. If you follow the band of GMT +2 from Finland down to Africa, it is clear that the Baltics naturally belong right within that time zone. They adhered to this until their Soviet occupation in 1940 when Moscow pended them to Western Russia time zone. That had the effect of artificially shifting both sunrise and sunset to later in the day, and was just one further arbitrary measure whereby the lives of people, who now no longer controlled their own affairs, were made that little bit more difficult to suit the whim of the occupier. When Soviet rule ended in 1991, the Baltics’ time zone, along with many other aspects of their national life, returned to normal. But not on RT maps.

With six time zones and the capital of the Russian Federation established in Yekaterimburg (which is at the same time close to the Central District and part of Siberia, not far from Astana and Eastern China) Russia will be more balanced and integrated. Even if the 40 million people Central District is a Hub for Russian development, investment and infraestructure, something necessary to attrack World corporation, once it has consolidated, the time for Yekaterinburg can arrive. Moscow will continue, the same as New York in the U.S. (which is not even capital of the state of N.Y.) as the ECONOMIC Hub of Russia, but Yekatrinburg will have a POLITICAL meaning being closer to the Russian population. The ADMINISTRATIVE capital should be Yekaterinburg, being close enough to the Central District and, at the same time, part of Siberia and close to Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and Kamerovo...

I would add that once Moscow leaves to be the capital of the Russian Federation, Russian people will understand that they are living in a new nation and that the Soviet era has past.