Wagner Group mercenary leader vows revenge after he says Russian military attacked his fighters

The bellicose leader of the Wagner Group mercenary army has vowed revenge after he accused Russian military officials of killing scores of his fighters in a rocket attack.

Even as the Kremlin grapples with Ukraine’s counteroffensive operations, Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to have declared war Friday on top military brass in Moscow.

In a message posted on his Telegram social media page, Mr. Prigozhin said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered a helicopter attack on rear-area camps where his Wagner Group troops were recuperating from frontline fighting.

“The evil brought by the military leadership of the country must be stopped,” Mr. Prigozhin said. “Those who destroyed today our guys, who destroyed tens of thousands of Russian soldiers, will be punished.”

Russian military officials took to Telegram on Friday to deny any allegations that their forces attacked the Wagner Group camps. They called any videos that might be seen on social media sites part of an “international provocation” that “do not correspond to reality.”

While Russia routinely jails critics of its “special military operation” in Ukraine, Mr. Prigozhin has been given wide latitude, indicating his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He routinely lambastes top Russian military officials like Mr. Shoigu and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff and commander of all Russian forces in Ukraine.

Mr. Prigozhin has accused officials in Moscow of failing to provide sufficient supplies and weapons to his mercenary army. He most recently claimed they duped Mr. Putin into launching the invasion to line their pockets.

He claimed to have 25,000 mercenary troops available for a new mission against the Russian military establishment. But he denied orchestrating a coup attempt against the government.

“Everyone who will try to resist, we will consider them a danger and destroy them immediately,” Mr. Prigozhin said. “After we finished what we started, we will return to the frontline to protect our motherland.”