Ukrainian spies say they intercepted a phone call of a Russian soldier saying 'it was our sabotage group' that destroyed the Kakhovka dam

• A Russian soldier revealed it was their sabotage group that destroyed a dam in Ukraine, spies say.
• Ukraine's Security Service says the soldier discussed the dam's destruction on an intercepted phone call.

Ukrainian spies said on Friday that they intercepted a phone call from a Russian soldier who admits it was Russia's forces that blew up the Kakhovka dam, sending floodwaters careening into Ukrainian villages and towns downstream.

The Security Service of Ukraine said the phone call was between two Russian service members.

"It's not them [Ukrainians] who hit it. It was our sabotage group," one soldier says, according to Ukraine. "They wanted to scare with this dam. It went not as planned, but more than they planned.'

"It will be like in Chernobyl, right?" the other soldier says in the call, according to Ukraine.

Insider was unable to verify the veracity of the call or when it took place.

The Kakhovka dam sits on the Dnipro River near Crimea and the frontline between Ukrainian and Russian troops, not far from where Ukraine's forces began a much-anticipated counteroffensive this week.

Ukraine has accused Russia of destroying the dam and flooding the area around Kherson.

Russia, meanwhile, has alleged that Ukraine was behind the dam's destruction.

Media reports this week showed floodwaters sweeping away a house and rescuers trying to save animals that became trapped. Experts say the destruction likely also wiped out Russian defensive positions.

NBC News reported that US intelligence officials believe Russia was most likely behind the sabotage.