A NATO official has confirmed that the four US military personnel who went missing close to the Belarusian border have died following a training mission in Lithuania.
The soldiers, along with a tank, disappeared on a training site in the nation, just miles from the Belarusian border, NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte said earlier today (March 26).
The soldiers in question were reportedly carrying out scheduled tactical training just outside the country’s capital of Vilnius at the time of their disappearance. It has now been confirmed they have been killed.
“Whilst I was speaking, the news came out about four American soldiers who were killed in an incident in Lithuania,” Rutte said to reporters during a visit to a school in Poland’s capital Warsaw today.
US soldiers taking part in a training exercise in Finland, back in 2023
“This is still early news so we do not know the details. This is really terrible news and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones.”
Speaking on the matter earlier today, the US embassy in Vilnius said in a statement: “The soldiers, all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time of the incident. Search and recovery efforts are underway.”
The US military is yet to speak on the matter, although Lieutenant General Charles Costanza thanked Lithuania’s armed forces for their help in the search and rescue mission.
“I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian Armed Forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations,” he said in a statement.
US Army soldiers participate in a river-crossing exercise
“It’s this kind of teamwork and support that exemplifies the importance of our partnership and our humanity regardless of what flags we wear on our shoulders.”
The soldiers were last seen alive yesterday (March 25) while riding an armored vehicle close to the city of Pabrade, in eastern Lithuania.
According to Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT, they were at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė, which is located around six miles from from the Belarus border.
Belarus is allied with Russia, while Lithuania is part of NATO and has long voiced its support for Ukraine.
An armored vehicle also went missing with the four soldiers
Lithuania joined NATO is 2004, 14 years after it declared independence from the now-defunct Soviet Union.
Russia had occupied the country for 50 years up until that point.
With Russia and Lithuania’s history in mind, there’s long been tension between the two countries.
However, yesterday Ukraine and Russia agreed to a ceasefire deal relating to the Black Sea following discussions the two countries had with the United States.
