And nodded at Russia: US soldiers were killed in Lithuania as a result of an accident at an exercise — AP

Four American soldiers who went missing during exercises in Lithuania have died. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to journalists in Warsaw today, AP reports.

According to Rutte, he does not know the details yet.

"This is still preliminary data, we don't know the details. This is really terrible news, and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones," Rutte said.

An American official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said only that four soldiers had been involved in an accident during an exercise. He did not comment on the condition of the soldiers, the agency reports.

In a statement, the US Army's Public Relations Department for Europe and Africa in Wiesbaden, Germany, said soldiers were conducting routine tactical exercises at the time.

As EADaily reported, Russian and Belarusian special services may be behind the death of four American servicemen in Lithuania. This was reported by the Baltic News Service (BNS) agency, citing unnamed sources.