North Korea and Russia's emerging axis - why we should all be worried

Here I seek to unravel the complex and sinister pact between the world's most isolated rogue states... and consider how it may escalate the war in Ukraine. Oh, and we need to talk about China...

Hello and welcome to Hostile World with Chris Hughes, a weekly newsletter about the world of defence and geopolitics. You can subscribe here and follow me on Twitter @defencechris. Thank you!

Mirror Defence editor Chris Hughes in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv

Hello and welcome to the first of my weekly newsletters in which I aim to go behind the headlines in the world of defence and global security.

I have reported on wars and terrorism for 20 years as the Mirror’s Defence Editor and it has taken me to frontlines all over the world.

It has given me access to the people fighting, often on the right side but, as explained in my profile, I have also met those working in the shadows of the intelligence world.

And inevitably many interviewees have been very much on the wrong side, such as the two Wagner Group prisoners I met earlier this year.

This is a fascinating and somewhat nervy time in geopolitics, with war in Ukraine the main focus as superpowers jostle for position.

If you're interested in geopolitics, or fascinated by the interplay of the world's greatest powers then I hope each week to offer a fresh insight into what is really happening.