'We need to end this mess': Wagner chief says 'evil' Russian military leadership must be stopped

'Everyone who will try to resist, we will consider them a danger and destroy them immediately, including any checkpoints on our way.'

It was not immediately clear what Prigozhin’s objectives were and whether his threats were directed at the Kremlin. File Picture: Prigozhin Press Service via AP

The Wagner mercenary chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has claimed that a Russian rocket attack killed scores of his fighters, vowing to take “revenge” in an unprecedented escalation of infighting among Russia’s elite.

In a series of extraordinary audio messages released late on Friday, Prigozhin appeared to declare war on the Russian military leadership.