The rumors that an American NATO officer was captured by Russian forces in Ukraine are false, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, the headquarters of NATO’s Allied Command Operations, said.
Some social media users spread a rumor that U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Roger Cloutier Jr., commander of NATO Allied Land Command, was captured in Mariupol, and it’s “completely false,” a NATO spokesperson told the Washington Examiner on Friday.
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“Lt. Gen. Cloutier’s last visit to Ukraine was in July 2021 to conduct land staff talks in Kyiv in order to strengthen NATO’s partnership with Ukraine’s brave and capable forces,” the spokesperson explained. “There are no forces under NATO command in Ukraine.”
It’s unclear where the reports originated, though some users attributed the news to Russian media, which is often used to spread propaganda.
“We will not speculate as to the source or motivation behind these rumors. NATO is a defensive alliance, and NATO stands ready to deter Russian aggression as well as assure its allies that sovereign NATO territory will be protected,” the representative added.
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NATO also posted on Facebook on Tuesday from the 46th Land Operations Working Group, which met in Izmir, Turkey, and it included a photo of the commander.
He assumed command of Allied Land Command in August 2020, and before that, he served as the commander of the U.S. Army Africa/Southern European Task Force, according to his NATO bio page.
