What do we know about the North Korean troops joining Russia’s war?

Soldiers from the isolated communist state have no experience in modern warfare and a lot to learn on the battlefield.

NATO has now confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in Russia.

While rumoured to have been there for some months, there is growing evidence that up to 10,000 soldiers, accompanied by senior staff – including three generals, have travelled from North Korea to the Russian-held part of Kursk and will soon see combat operations.

Here’s what you should know about these troops’ presence in the conflict zone and why North Korea is joining Russia’s war.

While not denying the hardiness and toughness of an individual North Korean soldier, there is no one in the North Korean armed forces who has had any experience of fighting a mechanised conflict using 21st-century weapons.

Drones, sensors, and constant surveillance of the battlefield will mix with the old and proven tactics of combined arms warfare, trench clearing and the use of long-range precision artillery.