What is the situation in Podbrodzie, Lithuania, where four U.S. soldiers went missing during exercises at a local training ground? The M88 “Hercules” vehicle carrying those military personnel still has not been recovered. “This night will be decisive for the entire operation,” reported on-site correspondent for Republika, Rafał Stańczyk.
Four American soldiers went missing Tuesday afternoon during drills at a Lithuanian training range in Podbrodzie, not far from the border with Belarus. Lithuanian and foreign military personnel, as well as helicopters from the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service, were dispatched for the search-and-rescue operation.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Army announced that the Hercules armored vehicle carrying the four American soldiers during the exercise in Podbrodzie, Lithuania, had been found submerged in a body of water. It assured that the U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces, and civilian agencies were conducting rescue efforts.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Szakaliene stated on Thursday that the bodies of the four soldiers have not been found, and their deaths—contrary to media reports on Wednesday—have not been confirmed.
Also on Thursday, the head of Poland’s Ministry of National Defense announced that Polish soldiers have been sent to Lithuania to assist in the search.
A Reporter on the Ground for Republika
In Podbrodzie, Lithuania, on-site is Republika correspondent Rafał Stańczyk, who provides updates every few hours on the latest information.
He reported that he spoke today with Lieutenant Colonel Ausrys Buikus, commander of the search-and-rescue operation.
“He is in charge of the entire operation, which involves Lithuanian, American, and also Polish soldiers. The lieutenant colonel admitted that this is a very difficult operation, because the M88 ‘Hercules’ is at a depth of 3 to 5 meters. It’s unclear exactly how it’s positioned underwater—whether it’s on its tracks, on its side, or upside down—because it can’t be seen through the silt. This is critical to how the recovery operation will proceed,” the Republika reporter said.
A Decisive Night
Stańczyk continued his report:
“At the moment, the situation is as follows: there are massive military bulldozers on the shore, steel cables, and divers who are supposed to go underwater, attach metal cables to the vehicle, and then bulldozers will slowly pull the over 30-ton machine onto the bank. Right now, that’s not possible because it’s still a swampy area, and you can’t dive in a swamp. They’re continuously pumping out the bog so that divers can descend. Tonight is supposed to be decisive for the entire operation. That’s what the main commander of the operation told Republika.”
In a conversation with Stańczyk, Lt. Col. Buikus provided the following details:
“Everything depends on the first attempt to pull out the vehicle. If we can move it, that will mean it isn’t heavily jammed, and we should be able to extract it relatively easily. But if it won’t budge, we’ll need even more specialized equipment. Because of the narrow, unstable, and waterlogged forest roads, bringing that gear in could take more hours—or even days. Tonight, our divers will go underwater for the first time. If everything goes according to plan, we should see the first results today. If not, we’ll repeat the dive tomorrow morning once the silt settles and the water becomes a bit clearer.”
Further reports indicate that a press conference with representatives of the Lithuanian Army is planned for tomorrow at about 9:00 a.m. Polish time.
“Then we should learn whether this underwater operation, which we’ve been hearing about, was successful,” the journalist concluded.