Armed forces on alert: 4 American soldiers goes missing near Lithuania's capital, search is progess

Four U.S. soldiers went missing at a training facility outside Lithuania's capital, and the U.S. military had a search in progress on Wednesday. A U.S. Army, Europe and Africa public affairs news release in Wiesbaden, Germany said the soldiers were conducting routine tactical training when they went missing.

US Soldiers Missing in Lithuania

It stated additional information will be released when new information is received. Lithuanian state broadcaster LRT said that four American troops and vehicle were reported missing Tuesday afternoon while taking part in an exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training area in Pabrade, a town within less than 10 kilometres of the border with Belarus.

Rescue Efforts Begin

The three Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are all part of NATO and have frequently maintained frosty relations with Russia, a close friend of Belarus, since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. Things further soured over the Russian all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has been among the strongest voices of support for Ukraine against Russian President Vladimir Putin's armies.