Danish solar PV developer Nordic Solar has secured project financing for an 80MWp solar PV installation in Lithuania The company agreed on a non-recourse project financing with Stockholm-based Swedbank for an unspecified “double-digit million-euro amount” It will support the construction of the 80MWp plant in the Švenčionys area around 80 kilometres north of the Lithuanian capital The project will deploy bifacial modules mounted on Nordic’ Solar’s own steel racking structure This is Nordic Solar’s second utility-scale solar project in Lithuania, following a 100MWp project which it brought online in May last year in Molėtai, eastern Lithuania  That project – which Nordic Solar claims is the largest PV installation in Lithuania – was also financed in partnership with Swedbank head of corporate customer division at Swedbank Lithuania said the bank’s partnership with Nordic Solar “enables [the] rapid transformation of Lithuanian energy system towards the future based on renewables “Lithuania’s strategic goal is to have 100% locally produced electricity by 2030…projects such as large solar parks bring that goal even closer.” Lithuania has committed to deploying 5.1GW of solar PV capacity by 2030, according to its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) EU member states have all submitted NECPs to Brussels outlining their energy transition plans until the end of the decade A number of European PV developers have been active in Lithuania, including Estonian firm Sunly which secured €300 million last August to develop a 1.3GW renewables portfolio across Baltic states and Poland we have upgraded our product offerings and features to bring you the best experience please check your email inbox for password reset message from PV Tech and follow the instructions Can\'t find the email? Try to sign in again and use the "Forgot Password" button If you have any questions please contact us An armored vehicle with four missing US servicemen was found in Lithuania. Police and US investigators are continuing the investigation, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry says four American soldiers disappeared at the Pabradė training ground located in the Švenčionys district municipality near the border with Belarus The exercises were part of the US rotational forces that train units stationed in Lithuania and an armored vehicle stuck in the mud was recovered at the scene The recovery of the vehicle was a key moment in the operation are now working at the training ground to determine the circumstances of the incident The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense did not specify whether there were any military personnel inside An investigation has now been launched to clarify the details Investigators from both countries continue to collect information The Lithuanian training ground was the site of US military exercises to train rotational force units stationed there. 2 battalions of the 3rd US Infantry Division will remain there for 9 months. Joint exercises with Lithuania and other NATO allies are planned. It is assumed that the missing soldiers were on an M88 Hercules armored repair and recovery vehicle. Based on the Abrams tank, they are very powerful and heavy, weighing up to 63 tons, which can be especially dangerous in the swampy terrain in Pabradė. The memorial site would serve to commemorate the sacrifice of the brave US soldiers We followed the situation closely and lived through this painful event together with everyone The disaster shocked not only the local population but also the whole international community reminding us once again of the importance of solidarity cooperation and collective responsibility," the municipality said in a press release The memorial site would also serve as a symbol of the close partnership between Lithuania and the United States and their joint efforts for security and peace Švenčionys District Municipality invited the Ministry of National Defence the Government and other institutions to hold discussions and find the most appropriate way to commemorate the site Yitzhak Arad photographed for the joint project between Yad Vashem and Martin Schoeller "Survivors: Faces of Life after the Holocaust" Yad Vashem mourns the passing of Dr. Yitzhak Arad renowned historian and former Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate and Vice-Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council Arad was born Yitzhak Rudnicki in Święciany he belonged to a Zionist youth movement and was educated in Hebrew schools After three months of German occupation of the city His parents were murdered during the Shoah he managed to escape a murderous German aktion and sneak back into the town ghetto where he was put to work in a munitions warehouse He began to smuggle weaponry and help form a ghetto underground movement Apart from a foray infiltrating the Vilna ghetto in April of that year to meet with underground leader Abba Kovner Yitzhak stayed with the partisans until the end of the war fighting the Germans and their collaborators in the Narocz Forest of Belarus and in eastern Lithuania for which he received the highest partisan award Arad immigrated to Eretz Israel on the illegal immigrant ship Hannah Szenes His last appointment was IDF Chief Education Officer; he retired in 1972 as Brigadier General Arad lectured on Jewish History at Tel Aviv University and was a guest professor at Yeshiva University Most of the books published in English were also published in Hebrew Arad participated in a joint commemorative photography project between Yad Vashem and world-renowned photographer Martin Schoeller entitled Survivors: Faces of Life after the Holocaust "What happened in the past could potentially happen again Be very clear about this: Do not count yourselves among the murderers and may you never find yourselves among the victims." a Jewish partisan hailing from the Warsaw ghetto who headed Yad Vashem for 21 years he worked diligently to commemorate the Holocaust and established the Valley of the Communities we met at the IDF General Staff forum held at Yad Vashem for Holocaust Remembrance Day I had the great pleasure of seeing a 95-year-old Jew speak fluently It is sad that such figures are leaving the world." "Yitzhak (Tolka) Arad reflected many historical aspects the Jewish people endured: a life that began in Poland; fighting with the partisans during the Holocaust; and then immigrating to Eretz Israel where he fought in the War of Independence Through his work at Yad Vashem and his words Tolka personified the force of life and power of memory which was also reflected in his private life and the fate of his people are an example of the generation that believed – and continues to believe – in the development of the State of Israel and its influence a person who taught me so much and with whom I wove many dreams." Acting Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate: "We know that it is the nature of the world that a day comes and a person leaves us but this fact does not ease the sadness when a hero like Yitzhak (Tolka) Arad departs Every farewell to a Holocaust survivor is a reminder to us that now the work of remembrance rests on our shoulders even more." Yad Vashem extends its deepest condolences to his children The Yad Vashem website had recently undergone a major upgrade The page you are looking for has apparently been moved We are therefore redirecting you to what we hope will be a useful landing page For any questions/clarifications/problems, please contact: webmaster@yadvashem.org.il the solar park will contribute to strengthening the country's self-sufficiency in renewable energy and supply more than 35,000 Lithuanian households Nordic Solar commissioned the company's first and the country's largest solar park to date Nordic Solar and Swedbank signed a project financing agreement for that project last year and are now entering into a new financing agreement together this time covering the new solar park in Švenčionys located about 80 kilometers north of the capital Vilnius Financing is disbursed even before construction is completed and is therefore used as non-recourse construction financing "This is a solid financing solution that we have entered into with Swedbank and it reflects how attractive this project is Nordic Solar is pleased to contribute to strengthening Lithuania's renewable energy production which is high on the agenda in the country "A strong collaboration based on a shared vision is crucial for us to realise more solar energy projects in the country and here again we have greatly appreciated the collaboration with Swedbank This is not only an attractive financing solution but an attractive opportunity to collaborate across borders to strengthen Lithuania's ability to increase the share of solar energy in the energy mix and strengthen the energy supply in line with the country's ambitious national targets," says Tim Janusch Gadatsch Member of the Board and Head of Corporate Customer Division “Our continued partnership with Nordic Solar and the funding provided for its second solar park enables rapid transformation of Lithuanian energy system towards the future based on renewables Lithuania’s strategic goal is to have 100% locally produce electricity by 2030 while the projects such as large solar parks bring that goal even closer.” The new solar park in Švenčionys will be built with Nordic Solar's proprietary steel substructure for which the company has obtained a European patent The structure is optimised so that the mounted bifacial modules capture the most radiation The same solution is used in the solar park in Molètai to optimise solar energy production from the back of the solar panels On display at the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s new Auschwitz exhibit is a hand-embroidered floral blouse Chaya Palevsky made for her older sister Rachel Porus who kept many people alive in the Švenčionys ghetto After liberation Chaya married Simon Palevsky, a fellow partisan, and moved to New York, where she cofounded “Nusekh Vilne,” an organization dedicated to preserving the cultural legacy of Lithuanian Jewry. A kind, grandmotherly figure who never lets visitors to her home leave without homemade snacks she recently left New York after 73 years and now lives in Jacksonville Florida What’s the last thing you listened to on your phone Earliest Jewish memory: All my childhood memories were Jewish until going to a Polish Gymnasium Yiddish and Polish were the primary languages Father always brought home at least one “gast af shabes.” Every Pesach I’d help my mother make “teyglekh,” a recipe and practice now entrusted to my children confidant baleboste of our household of eight fellow Partisan who took his own life when captured by the Nazis rather than risk giving up our positions Our families that joined the Camp Committee to establish and sustain Camp Hemshekh and talking and arguing and Middle Eastern food Favorite thing about being Jewish: It is who I am Weekend ritual: Shabes lunch with my children especially if my “eynikl” Dr Sholem joins us The Forward’s staff contributors are listed in our masthead I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward American Jews need independent news they can trust At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S rising antisemitism and polarized discourse This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up Copyright © 2025 The Forward Association a report was received about four US soldiers and one tracked vehicle missing during a training exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training area in Pabradė as well as helicopters of the Air Force and the State Border Guard Service were deployed to search for the missing on the same day The searchers have located the possible site of the incident and the search and rescue operation continues with additional resources from the Fire and Rescue Department and other institutions it is believed that the four US servicemen may have been killed TV3.lt and lrytas.lt report that the four soldiers are dead and the tracked vehicle has been found in a swamp that official sources have not yet confirmed this Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė’s office announced on Wednesday evening that she is going to the Pabradė training ground “The Minister is going to the training ground to inspect the search and rescue work and to express her solidarity with the Americans,” Defence Ministry spokesman Ignas Grinevičius told BNS US Army Europe and Africa has also confirmed that four American soldiers are missing were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time of the incident “I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian Armed Forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations,” Lt “It’s this kind of teamwork and support that exemplifies the importance of our partnership and our humanity regardless of what flags we wear on our shoulders.” the Police Department said that Vilnius officials were informed at 19:20 that three soldiers and a vehicle went missing after a training exercise at the Pabradė training ground in the District of Švenčionys in eastern Lithuania a spokesman for the Lithuanian Armed Forces told BNS that the missing persons were foreigners and did not comment further on the situation: “I can only say that they are foreign soldiers.” The chairman of the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence told LRT RADIO that he was aware of the disappearance but did not provide any further information “There is a request from the military and the forces that were conducting the drills to exercise discretion at this time and not to make any comments let’s allow all the procedures to do their work The police and all the elements that have to be involved are involved these investigations are involved,” the politician told LRT RADIO RBC-Ukraine has gathered the key details about the tragedy near the Lithuania-Belarus border Reports of four missing US Army soldiers and a tracked combat vehicle came in at 04:45 PM local time the previous day The incident occurred during drills at the Pabradė training ground (Švenčionys district A large-scale search operation was launched on Tuesday the Lithuanian Armed Forces deployed helicopters today "The possible incident location has been identified and a search-and-rescue operation is underway Additional forces from the Fire and Rescue Department are involved," the Lithuanian military stated today The US Embassy in Vilnius also reported the incident Search efforts are being carried out by US and Lithuanian military personnel as well as local law enforcement and other agencies The missing soldiers belong to the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division which was conducting planned tactical exercises at the time of the incident “I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian Armed Forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations It’s this kind of teamwork and support that exemplifies the importance of our partnership and our humanity regardless of what flags we wear on our shoulders,” said Lieutenant General Charles Costanza According to the Police Department initial reports mentioned three missing soldiers and a vehicle but it was later confirmed that four soldiers were unaccounted for The police have not commented on the incident yet stating that the circumstances are still under investigation Seimas National Security and Defense Committee Chair Giedrimas Jeglinskas acknowledged the disappearance but refrained from sharing details “The military and training forces ask for discretion and no comments Let’s be respectful and allow the procedures to work The police and all necessary elements are involved in the investigations,” he stated President Gitanas Nausėda said he is being regularly updated on the situation and the search efforts I cannot confirm anything yet — circumstances are still being clarified Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas also promised to provide updates soon “I won’t disclose additional details for now but the investigation will determine all the facts it will be summarized and made public,” he confirmed Defense Ministry spokesperson Ignas Grinevičius stated that Minister Dovilė Sakalienė traveled to the training ground to oversee the search efforts and express solidarity with US forces US military exercises were held at the Lithuanian training ground focusing on training the rotational force units stationed there Two battalions of the US 3rd Infantry Division will remain in Pabradė for another nine months Joint exercises with Lithuania and other NATO allies are planned It is believed that the missing soldiers were aboard an M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle These vehicles are based on the Abrams tank platform This can be particularly dangerous in the swampy terrain of Pabradė such recovery vehicles have previously been supplied to Ukraine The M88 is effectively used for evacuating damaged combat vehicles from the battlefield There have been past incidents in Pabradė a soldier was injured when an explosive device detonated during training three soldiers were injured when a military vehicle crashed into a tree another military vehicle overturned during exercises multiple Lithuanian media outlets reported the incident all four soldiers traveling in the tracked vehicle were likely killed Lrytas reports that the vehicle has allegedly been found in a swamp official sources had not confirmed this information "There is no information confirming this," said Gintautas Ciunis a representative of the Lithuanian Armed Forces' Strategic Communications Department stated that the soldiers were traveling in a heavy vehicle that may have sunk in the swamp they were following another heavy vehicle but veered off the road and could have been trapped inside the M88 when it submerged in water Reuters published a report on the soldiers' deaths "Whilst I was speaking the news came out about four American soldiers who were killed in an incident in Lithuania," Rutte said adding that he did not have further details Lithuania’s Health Emergency Situation Centre (ESSC) handed over the pills ahead of the opening of the Belarussian nuclear power plant in Astravyets some 50 kilometres from the Lithuanian capital Vilnius It is up for the local authorities to decide the way the pills will be distributed to people The pills will first reach Lithuanian residents living within the 30-kilometre radius from the Astravyets NPP Vilnius District municipality has received 29,000 pills and Švenčionys District got over 95,000 pills The fact that the distribution of potassium iodide pills has started way before the launch of the nuclear facility in Belarus shows that “all responsible institutions have done their job” said Lithuanian Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga “The other important task is for people to listen to the specialists’ advice and use these pills when needed and in the appropriate way,” the minister added Lithuania has purchased 4 million potassium iodide pills for over 1 million euros to protect people from radiation in case of a nuclear accident The country has been opposing the construction of Astravyets NPP saying the facility does not meet the security standards Read more: Critics fear Lithuania may ‘capitulate’ in the fight against Belarusian nuclear plant Belarusian officials have said the date of the Astravyets NPP’s first reactor’s “physical launch” will be revealed over the upcoming week The nuclear facility should reach its full capacity by February 2021 Read more: Kremlin may threaten nuclear incidents in Belarus to blackmail Lithuania – MP According to Transport and Communications Minister Marius Skuodis half of the money is expected to come from the European Commission and the other half from Lithuania’s national budget Skuodis and Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas met to discuss priority projects on Tuesday and railways must be ready for the arrival of NATO military equipment in Lithuania and seaport so that the allies can move comfortably in all directions,” Skuodis said The investments will also benefit the general population as “people will have better roads as well” The two ministries’ joint list of projects includes further stages of upgrading the Via Baltica motorway from Marijampolė toward the Polish border building a south-eastern bypass of the central town of Jonava upgrading bridges on the Vilnius-Klaipėda motorway upgrading signalling and related systems on the Rail Baltica railway section between Kaunas and Lithuania’s border with Poland and extending the pavement of Kaunas Airport’s apron to accommodate military aircraft and seaport infrastructure projects are also being planned The projects are expected to be completed by 2027 The EU’s Connecting Europe Facility earmarked a total of 1.69 billion euros to member countries between 2021 and 2027 to improve military mobility in Europe Rescuers evacuated around 50 volunteers from the District of Švenčionys and another 50 from the District of Vilnius on Wednesday and handed out mock iodine pills Police officers oversaw the evacuation as people were moved from their homes to a decontamination site and further westwards One of the drills took place in the village of Magūnai told BNS she was worried about the Astravyets plant because it is located so close to Lithuania “[In case of an accident at Astravyets] there would be much panic everyone would want to be the first to evacuate,” Alinauskienė said The Lithuanian government has fiercely protested the plant's construction 30 kilometres from the border and only 50 kilometres from the Lithuanian capital and most populous city Read more: As sirens blare across Vilnius, authorities test nuclear response readiness The government's resolution allows changing the intended use of the areas involved The status of 191.15 ha of state forest in the territory of the Pabradė training area will be changed And 43.95 ha of state forest near the Gaižiūnai training area will also see its status changed The Ministry of National Defence says only part of these forest lots will be cleared for new roads and military infrastructure The exact areas to be cleared is not disclosed yet but the ministry has vowed to take environmental requirements into account Now the forest territories cannot be fully used for the movement of Lithuanian army or allied units and prevent infrastructure development Energy Ministry Žygimantas Vaičiūnas expressed hope that an equivalent area of the cleared forests will be replanted elsewhere.