The Armed Forces of Lithuania reported on Saturday the death of a Belgian serviceman who sustained serious injuries during exercises at the Pabradė training ground in the Švenčionys district.
According to the report, the serviceman died from injuries sustained during the shooting.
After receiving first aid at the scene, the victim was urgently transported to Santaros Clinic on Friday, where Lithuanian medics fought for his life for a day. However, the soldier did not survive due to severe and multiple wounds, stated the press release of the Armed Forces.
"We express our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased serviceman, his colleagues, and our close ally Belgium. Lithuania firmly supports Belgium in the face of this extremely tragic misfortune," quoted the press release from Defense Minister Robert Kaunas.
President Gitanas Nausėda also expressed condolences regarding the soldier's death.
"With deep sadness and sorrow, I received the news of the death of the Belgian serviceman during exercises. The pain of loss is shared by all – both friends in the NATO Multinational Battle Group and the Armed Forces of Lithuania, as well as the entire Lithuanian people," said the head of state in a press release from the presidential office.
"The presence of Belgian servicemen in our region is a guarantee of security not only for Lithuania but for the entire transatlantic community," Nausėda said.
Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys stated on social media platform X that Lithuania "shares this moment of mourning with our Belgian allies."
Belgian servicemen have been regularly present in Lithuania since 2017 as part of the international allied battalion commanded by Germany.
