Wagner Chief Claims Russian Missile Attack Killed Mercenaries; Moscow Says Leader Is Inciting Civil War

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group, stated that his forces were ambushed by the Russian army on Friday.

In an audio message released by his representatives, Prigozhin stated, "We were prepared to make concessions to the defense ministry and hand over our armaments. Today, seeing that we were still standing, they launched missiles at our rear positions."

Wagner Mercenary Force Rebels

Wagner's commander stated that the Russian government's "evil" must be prevented. In retaliation against the Russian military leadership, the Wagner commander stated he was conducting a "justice" march and not a "coup."

Nonetheless, Russia's state security agency, the FSB, launched an investigation into Prigozhin for alleged "mutiny."

The alleged assault on Wagner forces occurred just hours after Prigozhin accused Russian military commanders of deceiving President Vladimir Putin into initiating the invasion of Ukraine.

Per DW, the Russian Ministry of Defense denied Prigozhin's allegations of an attack, stating that the Wagner head's claims "do not correspond to reality and are an informational provocation."

In a video posted on Telegram on Friday morning, Prigozhin made vehement criticisms of Russia's rationale for launching the assault on Ukraine on February 24, 2014.

Prigozhin asserted that the Russian Defense Ministry is attempting to deceive society and the president by claiming that Ukraine was planning to launch a full-scale NATO attack against Russia.

Prigozhin asserted that the assault on Ukraine was initiated so that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu could attain the rank of marshal and earn military honors. The status of marshal is the greatest in the Russian military, and to date, only one former minister of defense has attained it.

Russia Cancels Public Events

Yvegney Prigozhin and his feared 25,000-strong Wagner militia seize control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, declaring they are "ready to die" and vowing revenge for a military strike by Putin's forces that the mercenary commander claims killed some of his men.

All public events have been canceled in the Russian capital as Vladimir Putin prepares to address the nation via television in an effort to reaffirm his tenuous hold on power.

Prigozhin issued a new message at approximately 7:30 a.m. Moscow time on Saturday, stating that his forces have infiltrated the Southern Defense Command in Rostov-on-Don and that he now controls the city's airfield.

According to Daily Mail, government officials have urged residents to remain in their homes, but some have been spotted observing the events and live-streaming them on their mobile phones. Professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley, Steve Fish, told the BBC World Service early on Saturday morning, "this has the appearance of a military coup."

Prigozhin, a former Putin confidant who declared war on Moscow's military leadership, stated in a video that the command post's highest-ranking officer escaped as soon as he discovered that Wagner forces were approaching.