Lithuania blames Russia for the deaths of U.S. military personnel at the Pabrade training range

Vilnius said that Russia was to blame for the deaths of four U.S. servicemen at the training range in Pabrade. BelTA writes with reference to the Lithuanian media.

It is stated that the U.S. military drowned in a swamp during exercises on the territory of Lithuania due to Russia's fault. "If you think about it properly, these soldiers should not have been at the training ground in Pabradae at all," says a leading local publication.

Vilnius believes that the soldiers ended up on Lithuanian territory only because Moscow "decided to intimidate the whole of Europe".

On the evening of April 1, the body of the last of four U.S. servicemen who disappeared during an exercise in the Lithuanian town of Pabrade was found in Lithuania. The day before, three other missing U.S. soldiers were also found dead.

On March 25, U.S. military personnel drove an M88 Hercules tracked vehicle during an exercise and disappeared. The armored vehicle was found in a swamp the next day, but it was not pulled out until March 31.

Nerijus Zableckis, head of the Lithuanian Foundation for Peatland Restoration and Conservation, said that the swamp where the M88 drowned was not indicated on state maps. The expert noted that about 10% of the country's territory is marshland, but there is no accurate database on it. According to him, there are attempts to artificially reduce the area of marshes in the country, as they are actively used in agriculture.