In Ukraine, the battle for Soledar may be a life-wasting diversion for a looming, larger fight

Nick Reynolds of the London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) has been closely studying Russia's troop deployments, but he says it's not possible to know whether its newly mobilized troops will have enough training and equipment to go on the offensive. "It's unlikely they could do that in great strength," he told CBC News in an interview. "I think we're more talking about units that can hold the line or push forward incrementally."