https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/23/russian-authorities-launch-criminal-probe-into-wagner-group
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian military contractor Wagner Group, has sparked an escalating war of words with his country’s military leaders, indicating that he was prepared to go “all the way” to confront them.
On Saturday, Prigozhin posted an audio message on the social media app Telegram, claiming that his fighters had crossed from Ukraine into the Russian border city of Rostov-on-Don — and that they would fight anyone who tried to stop them.
“We crossed state lines into Russia,” Prigozhin said, describing a peaceful entry into the country. “Border guards came out to meet us and hugged our fighters.”
It was the latest provocation from Prigozhin since Russian authorities announced they would launch a criminal case against the mercenary chief, over threats he allegedly made to remove the country’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.