Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner group, accuses Russia of attacking the group.
He claims that an “enormous number” of soldiers have been killed – and vows to take revenge.
The Ministry of Defense denies and calls the play a provocation.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the paramilitary group Wagner, now claims that Russia has attacked the group, reports AFP during Friday evening. In a statement, he says that the Russian military leadership ordered an attack on the Wagner group’s camp.
An “enormous number” of soldiers must have been killed, according to Prigozhin.
– When they saw today that we have not been broken down, they carried out robot attacks against our rear camps, he says according to the news agency.
Prigozhin promises revenge
In the video where the Wagner boss talks, he is furious. He also singles out Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as being behind the attack, a claim that the Ministry of Defense denies.
“All messages spread on social media at the behest of Prigozhin about the alleged attack by the Russian Ministry of Defense on Wagner’s camp do not correspond to reality and are an informative provocation,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement, according to the Kyiv Post.
Prigozhin also says the group will retaliate after the attack. Among other things, he promises to “stop” the Russian military leadership.
– The Council of Commanders for Wagner has made a decision. The evil brought about by the military leadership in the country must be stopped, he says.
The FSB starts an investigation
Later in the evening, the Russian security service FSB announced that it had opened a criminal investigation against Prigozhin following the statements. The crime classification is incitement to armed rebellion, according to the Russian state news agency Tass.
Vladimir Putin has been informed of the events, the Kremlin said.
Earlier in the day, Prigozhin went on a verbal attack against Russia, claiming that Russian soldiers are withdrawing because of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, despite promises from Putin that Ukraine has no chance on the battlefield.
– We bathe in blood. There will be no reservists. What they are telling us is gross fraud, Prigozhin said on social media earlier on Friday.