Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the Wagner Group mercenaries, said Russian Defense Ministry attacked the group's bases in the rear. "A missile attack was launched on the camps of Wagner Group. Many victims. According to eyewitnesses, the attack was launched from the rear, meaning it was launched by the Russian Defense Ministry," Prigozhin said in an audio message shared by his press service. "This bastard will be stopped," he added, referring to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. "We were ready to make concessions to the defense ministry, to surrender our weapons, to find a solution on how we would continue to defend the country. But these scumbags did not calm down," Prigozhin said. "We have 25,000 (soldiers), and we're going to figure out why there's chaos in the country," he said. "Everyone, who is willing, join us." Russian Defense Ministry issued a response, saying that it didn't attack Wagner Group's bases, calling Prigozhin's statements "a provocation." According to Russia's state-controlled media Ria Novosti, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) opened a criminal investigation after Prigozhin's "call for insurrection."