Wagner chief vows to 'go to the end' to oust Moscow military leadership

The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner vowed Saturday to take all necessary steps to topple the country's military leadership in Moscow, saying his forces would "destroy everything" in their way.

"We are going onwards and we will go to the end," Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a new audio message after vowing to sideline Russia's military leadership.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces had entered the southern Russian region of Rostov but did not provide any proof and AFP could not independently verify his claims.

"We will destroy everything that stands in our way," he added.

Prigozhin, who has for months been mired in a feud with the defence ministry, on Friday accused Moscow of targeting his forces with deadly missile strikes and vowed to retaliate.

He urged Russians to join his forces and punish Moscow's military leadership in the most audacious challenge to President Vladimir Putin since the start of the offensive in Ukraine last year.

Russian state television meanwhile broadcast an unscheduled special report, echoing statements from the FSB security service, which accused Prigozhin of fomenting a "civil conflict" and urged Wagner fighters to detain him.

Local media published amateur footage showing armoured vehicles deploying throughout the capital, including near the defence ministry.