The U.S. Army has confirmed that the Hercules armored vehicle carrying four American soldiers during a training exercise was discovered submerged in a body of water. Recovery operations are being conducted in collaboration with the Lithuanian Armed Forces and civilian agencies.
The missing soldiers, all from the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division, were engaged in tactical training at the time of the incident.
When asked on Wednesday evening whether he had been briefed on the situation, former President Donald Trump responded, “No, I haven’t.”
Meanwhile, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, speaking during a visit to Warsaw, revealed that he had learned of the soldiers’ deaths while delivering a lecture. He expressed his condolences to their families and to the United States.
“This is still early news, so we do not have all the details. It is truly terrible, and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones,” Rutte stated.
According to Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT, the soldiers and their vehicle were reported missing on Tuesday afternoon during an exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė, a town situated less than 10 kilometers from the Belarusian border.
Lithuania, along with Latvia and Estonia, is a NATO member and has historically had tense relations with Russia, a key ally of Belarus, since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. Tensions escalated further following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has remained one of the strongest advocates for Ukraine in its fight against Russian forces.
