Moscow [Russia], June 24: Russia accused mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin of calling for an armed mutiny on Friday after he alleged, without providing evidence, that the military leadership had killed 2,000 of his fighters and vowed to stop what he called its "evil".
As a long-running standoff between him and the Defence Ministry appeared to come to a head, the ministry issued a statement, saying Prigozhin's accusations were "not true and are an informational provocation."
Prigozhin said his actions did not amount to a military coup. But Russia's FSB security service opened a criminal case against him for calling for an armed mutiny, the TASS news agency said on Friday, citing the National Anti-terrorism Committee.
The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin had been informed and that "necessary measures are being taken".
The standoff, many of the details of which remained unclear, looked like the biggest domestic crisis Putin has faced since he sent thousands of troops into Ukraine in February last year in what he called "a special military operation."
Prigozhin, whose frequent tirades on social media belie his limited role in the war as head of the Wagner private militia, has for months been openly accusing Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, of rank incompetence and of denying his forces ammunition and support.
But earlier on Friday, he had appeared to cross a new line in his increasingly vitriolic feud with the Defence Ministry, saying that the Kremlin's rationale for invading Ukraine was based on lies concocted by the army's top brass.
Then, in a series of late evening audio messages on his official Telegram channel, Prigozhin said:
"The minister of defence has ordered 2,000 bodies that are being stored to be hidden so as not to show the losses."
He added: "Those who destroyed our lads, who destroyed the lives of many tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished. I ask that no one offer resistance .
"There are 25,000 of us and we are going to figure out why chaos is happening in the country."
Prigozhin said his actions were "not a military coup", but added: "Most of the military support us fervently."
Prigozhin said his actions were "not a military coup", but added: "Most of the military support us fervently."
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation