Seven soldiers accused of stealing 14,000 units of US troops’ food rations

According to estimates, the material damage exceeded 121,000 euros, prosecutors said on Friday.

The Vilnius District Prosecutor’s Office has already handed the criminal case with indictment to court.

Charges have been brought against seven Lithuanian troops performing professional military service and two individuals who worked in the territory of the training area in Svencionys District in accordance with employment contracts.

Pre-trial investigation showed that a large quantity – at least 1,176 boxes with more than 14,000 units of dry rations intended for US troops stationed in Lithuania – were stolen from the training area of the Lithuanian armed forces in the district of Svencionys in the spring of 2020.

According to prosecutors, the soldiers who possibly acted in groups as accomplices allegedly used staff cars to take food rations of US troops away from a hangar located within the territory of the abovementioned training area and used for the storage of the said dry rations.

The accused are suspected of selling the stolen property to other persons for commercial gain.

Evidence showed that V. K., a company commander serving at the training area, found out about the criminal offence and allegedly demanded a bribe in exchange for his illegal inaction, i.e. for non-reporting the offence to officers in command.

The criminal case has been handed over to Vilnius Regional Court.