How the candles work
Every candle is a moment of remembrance. Here is how the daily allowance, retries and map totals work, so you can take part with a clear understanding of what is recorded.
Choose whom to remember
Each candle may be dedicated to Ukrainian soldiers or Russian soldiers who have died in war. We respect the dead on both sides equally. Remembrance does not support war or invasion or erase differences between governments, actions and responsibility.
Three candles per browser per UTC day
A browser’s anonymous identity may light up to three candles each day, shared between both dedications. The allowance resets at 00:00 UTC; the page shows the equivalent time where you are. Tabs sharing the same identity cookie share the allowance. A separate rate limit temporarily blocks candle requests after 30 attempts by the same identity within a one-minute window. If this happens, wait a minute before retrying.
Retry the same candle after a connection problem
If a candle cannot be confirmed, use the retry option. With the original browser identity still in place, a retry uses the same request identifier, dedication and region. A candle already recorded is counted once and does not use another candle from your allowance, even if the retry crosses midnight UTC. The pending request stays in this tab’s session storage so you can retry after reloading. Changing your selections does not change that pending candle.
The limits of an anonymous allowance
Lighting candles requires the site’s essential cookie, but no account. The allowance identifies a browser, not a verified person. It cannot reliably recognize someone who clears cookies or changes browsers or devices. Clearing the identity cookie can also prevent the original request from being recognized as a retry. Candle counts therefore cannot be used to count participants.
Choose a region or leave it unspecified
When you first open the map without a valid saved region choice or pending request, your browser asks GeoJS to estimate your country and waits up to three seconds. An existing choice, including not sharing a region, is reused. If stored data is cleared, opening the map may trigger another lookup. Estimates can be wrong or unavailable; you can choose a region yourself or leave it unspecified. Changes apply only to new candles submitted afterwards, never to existing candles or a pending retry.
Map colors and halos
Regions show the locations submitted by visitors, not where soldiers died or visitors’ nationalities. In All candles, gold means more candles for Ukrainian soldiers, blue-gray means more for Russian soldiers, and warm white means equal counts where candles have been lit. A larger absolute difference between the two counts creates a stronger halo; it is not a percentage. When viewing one dedication, its color is used and the halo reflects its candle count. Regions with no candles in the selected view remain unlit.
What totals mean, including candles without a region
These figures count candles recorded on this site. They are not a poll, a measure of political support or a death toll. Candles with no provided or determined region still count towards the worldwide total and their dedication’s total. They are also shown in a separate unlocated total, but are not drawn in a region on the map.
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