Moscow (CNN) -- Chanting "give us our time back," thousands of people in eastern Russia Saturday protested proposed changes to the country's time zones, state media reported. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has proposed time zone reforms that would further cut the time difference between the region and Moscow, the state-run RIA-Novosti news agency reported. Already, similar reforms implemented earlier this year have led to dark winter skies in the middle of the day in the region, the news agency said. More than 3,000 protesters flocked to the central square in the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, RIA-Novosti said. As a result of the changes, the consumption of electric energy already has increased in schools and other institutions, with many extracurricular groups shut down, protesters told RIA-Novosti. Older people are affected particularly negatively by the change, they argued, demanding a nationwide referendum to resolve the issue.
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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has proposed time zone reforms
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Protesters say time zone changes waste energy and negatively affect the elderly
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Chanting "give us our time back," they demand a nationwide referendum on the issue
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Medvedev says the changes help resolve transportation and communication issues
Throughout this year, government officials and scientists will closely examine the consequences of the time reform in the five @placeholder regions, and a further reduction of time zones in Russia might take place in future if the experiment proves positive, according to Medvedev.