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Armed Vehicle Plucked from Lithuania Swamp Could Contain Missing US Soldiers

Rescue crews had worked for days to extract the M88 Hercules that disappeared during a military training exercise in Lithuania on March 25 only to be found in a muddy bog.

The Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense has announced the successful completion of the operation to retrieve the armored vehicle, adding that the military police and US investigators are continuing their work at the site.

Screenshot of X post by Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense.

Rescue crews had worked for days to extract the heavy M88 Hercules that disappeared during a military training exercise.

There are fears it may hold the remains of four missing US soldiers from the First Brigade, Third Infantry Division, who had been training near Pabrade, Lithuania.

The recovery effort required specialized equipment to pump water and mud from the site and stabilize the soft ground of the surrounding area.

“Due to the terrain, this is an incredibly complex engineering effort,” Maj. Robin Bruce, 1st Armored Division Engineer, told reporters.

Lithuania hosts approximately 1,000 US troops on a rotational basis, in place ostensibly to bolster NATO's deterrence capabilities against the backdrop of the alleged "Russia threat" narrative.