MOSCOW: The founder of Wagner mercenary force called upon Russians on Friday to resist the country’s military leadership as its decisions had led to the loss of “thousands of innocent lives”.

But Yevgeny Prigozhin insisted that his call to action was not a military coup, but rather a “march for justice”.

“This is not a military coup,” Prigozhin said in a series of audio recording posted on Telegram. “It is a march for justice. Our actions do not in any way interfere with troops.”

Prigozhin also accused Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering that 2,000 bodies of Wagner fighters be hidden in a morgue in southern Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia’s security service opened a criminal case against Yevgeny Prigozhin for inciting “armed mutiny”.

President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the developments and “necessary measures are being taken”, Interfax news agency said, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2023