Competitor.

This is coolbert:

First there was Wagner. Now there is Patriot! Second Russian PMC enters the fray Ukraine Conflict.

Patriot beholden and loyal to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

"Shoigu deploys his Private Military Company [PMC], which competes with Wagner Group, to war against Ukraine"

"Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu’s Patriot Private Military Company (PMC), which is competing with Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner PMC, has been spotted near Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast."

From Ukrainska Pravda [Ukranian Truth] December 28, 2022 .

Source: "Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesman for the Eastern grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during the national joint 24/7 newscast"

Quote: "'In particular, in the area of Stepne on the Vuhledar front, we have noticed that in addition to Wagner PMC, Patriot PMC, affiliated with the current Russian Defence Minister Shoigu, has appeared. Obviously, they are pulling up all combat capabilities to achieve at least some results.'"

Details: "Cherevatyi, commenting on rumors of a conflict between Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner PMC and Sergei Shoigu’s Patriot PMC, has called them competitive. At the same time, they are in different 'theatres of war'. In his opinion, there is no direct interaction between them."

Yevgeny Prigozhin no longer "in favor" with Vlad Putin. Wagner their siege of Bakhmut a long and drawn out process inconclusive and absorbing valuable and perhaps scarce resources.

IF YEVGENY AND WAGNER CANNOT, THEN PERHAPS SERGEI AND PATRIOT CAN? COMPETITION IS OFTEN VALUABLE UNDENIABLY SO?

coolbert.