Wagner Chief Vows To Oust Russian Military Leadership

Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin on Saturday vowed to topple the Russian military leadership accusing Kremlin of launching strikes on his men.

"We are going onwards and we will go to the end," Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio message. "We will destroy everything that stands in our way," he added. 62-year-old Prigozhin has also said that his forces had shot down a Russian military helicopter.

On the other hand, Russia's FSB security service opened a criminal case against him and called on the Wagner private military company forces to ignore his orders and arrest him.

In a statement, the FSB said, "Prigozhin's statements and actions are in fact a call to start an armed civil conflict on the territory of the Russian Federation and a stab in the back to Russian servicemen fighting pro-fascist Ukrainian forces." The Kremlin said Putin had been informed of Prigozhin's claims and "necessary measures are being taken".

The astonishing escalation of infighting came after Prigozhin accused Moscow of targeting his forces with deadly missile strikes.

"They (Russia's military) conducted missile strikes at our rear camps. A huge number of our fighters, our comrades died," Prigozhin said in a series of furious audio messages. "The council of commanders of PMC Wagner has made a decision -- the evil that the military leadership of the country brings must be stopped."

Prigozhin cautioned Russians against opposing his advancing troops and urged them to unite with him, emphasizing, "We are a force of 25,000 strong."

"We need to put an end to this mess," he said, adding, "this is not a military coup, but a march of justice".

Although Prigozhin's organization has led numerous offensives on behalf of Russia in Ukraine, he has in recent months engaged in a bitter feud with Moscow's military command. He has consistently held Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff, accountable for the casualties suffered by his combatants.

Notably, Prigozhin's organization , which has tens of thousands of prison recruits, played a central role in Russia's capture of the town of Bakhmut in the eastern region of Donetsk, the longest and bloodiest battle of the conflict.

According to a report in ABC News, the Russian security services quickly opened a criminal investigation into Prigozhin.

The criminal investigation was justified, Russia's chief prosecutor said, as an armed rebellion charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment.