The Economist.

Hello and welcome to the intelligence from The Economist.

Hello and welcome to the Intelligence from The Economist. I'm your host, Ora Oganbei.

Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

Thanks in part to clashes between gangs, there are many missing people in Mexico.

So many, in fact, that it's hard to put a number on it. The country's

president says he's trying, but those still looking for their relatives say

that he's actually working to make the problem itself disappear.

And while lotteries are becoming increasingly popular among the people who can least afford them. But first. Harkiv in the northeast of Ukraine is the country's second largest city, just 30

kilometers from the border with Russia, and it is bearing the brunt of Russia's

military offensive.

missiles, drones and bombs have hit a wide variety of targets,

including electricity infrastructure,

meaning that rolling blackouts are back again.

In just one incident, about a week ago, a drone struck an apartment building,

an event devastating in its own right. But Russia then conducted what's known as a double tap attack,

waiting until rescuers have arrived on the scene before hitting it again.

Two residents are believed to have died in the attack,

along with three firefighters,

and overnight, Harkiv was rocked yet again.

Russia wants to demoralize the city's population and so Ukraine's president

Vladimir Zelensky did what he's done many times before.

...