An astonishing escalation of internal strife in Russia has been witnessed by the claims made by the leader of the Wagner mercenary group that the military of the nation attacked his troops.
Yevgeny Prigozhin declared that a "huge number" of his fighters had died and vowed to hold those responsible accountable.
It comes after a previous outburst in which Prigozhin accused the Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu of instigating the conflict in Ukraine.
Invading Wagner forces were denied by Moscow.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed in a statement that "all reports by Prigozhin spread on social media" of Russian strikes on Wagner camps were "false and are an information provocation.".
In the conflict in Ukraine, Russian forces have been fighting alongside the Wagner Group, a paramilitary group. Prigozhin has criticized Russia's military leadership louder and more frequently over the past few months.
He declared in an audio message shared on Telegram that "the evil carried by the Russian military leadership must be stopped.".
He declared: "Those who killed our boys and tens of thousands of Russian soldiers [during the war in Ukraine] will be punished.".
"I beg you not to push back. Anyone who does so will be viewed as a threat and killed. The same holds true for any airports or checkpoints we encounter.
"Presidential power, the executive branch of government, the police, and the Russian guard will function normally. We will take action against those who kill Russian soldiers and then go back to the front.
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