Tragically 503 civilians including two dozen children have been killed since the war began. joining us now, npr international correspondent aider perralta live in kharkiv, ukraine. it s a pleasure to get to talk to you. we have not heard much from there. so please, you know, take us beyond today and tell us what that city has been through. i mean, look, it s a heartbreaking situation here. if you were to look outside right now, the city is completely dark. it is a ghost city in a lot of ways. before the war this was a vibrant place with lots of technology, lots of universities. and now what you hear even in downtown kharkiv where we are is just constant shelling. i left my recorder out yesterday when we were in a basement, and