American soldiers went missing in Lithuania near the border with Belarus. They are likely dead.

American soldiers went missing near the border of Lithuania and Belarus

Four U.S. Army soldiers who were participating in exercises in Lithuania have gone missing at the eastern training ground near Pabrade. The U.S. Embassy in Lithuania reported that search operations are ongoing around the clock.

Lieutenant Colonel Gintautas Cijunis of the Lithuanian Army stated: 'We have established a possible location of the incident and are currently conducting search and rescue operations.'

The missing soldiers belong to the First Brigade of the Third Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. The Lithuanian Armed Forces also reported the loss of an armored transport during the exercises.

According to the Lithuanian media Delfi, there is a likelihood that the soldiers are dead.

Previously, the Prosecutor General's Office of Lithuania stated that Russian military intelligence was involved in the arson of the Ikea store in Vilnius last May. The preliminary investigation showed that one of the suspects acted on the instructions of Russian military structures, who were planning to carry out terrorist acts in Lithuania and Latvia.

Lithuania has also exited the international convention that prohibits the acquisition, use, and production of cluster munitions, due to threats from the Russian Federation.