Havana syndrome: Report links mystery illness to Russian intelligence unit
In recent years, a puzzling ailment that has afflicted US diplomats has been linked to a Russian intelligence unit. Personnel stationed worldwide experiencing symptoms akin to “Havana Syndrome,” including unexplained dizziness, may have been targeted by Russian sonic weaponry, as per a collaborative investigation by The Insider, Der Spiegel, and CBS’s 60 Minutes.
Despite Moscow’s denial of involvement, US officials, who previously deemed it improbable that a foreign entity was responsible, failed to provide an alternative explanation in their assessment of “anomalous health incidents” issued last year.
This lack of clarity has frustrated those affected, compounded by varying levels of confidence among the intelligence agencies involved.
Named after Havana, where the initial case emerged in 2016, the phenomenon’s origins may trace back to Germany two years prior, as indicated by the latest report. Affected American personnel, including individuals from the White House, CIA, and FBI, have reported symptoms encompassing dizziness, headaches, cognitive difficulties, and a distressing auditory sensation.
More than 1,000 reports of the mysterious ailment have been made, with dozens of cases still officially considered unexplained.
US lawmakers have passed legislation aimed at supporting victims – and people with confirmed brain injuries from the disease are eligible for payments.
There has long been a suspicion that those affected have been hit by directed energy or microwaves fired from hidden devices – a possibility that was acknowledged in an earlier US intelligence report.
The fresh media investigation alleges that operatives from a Russian military intelligence unit – known as 29155 – may have targeted the brains of US diplomats with “directed energy” weapons.
It says there is evidence that places members of the unit in cities around the world at times when US personnel reported incidents.
As part of the investigation, The Insider – a Russia-focused site – also reported that officers in the 29155 unit had been rewarded for their work related to the development of “non-lethal acoustic weapons.”
An American military investigator examining instances of the syndrome told 60 Minutes that the common link between victims of the syndrome was a “Russia nexus”.
Greg Edgreen explained: “There was some angle where they had worked against Russia, focused on Russia, and done extremely well.”
He also said the official US bar of proof to show Russian involvement had been set too high, as his country did not want to “face some very hard truths”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that there was any evidence of Russian involvement and said the accusations in the report were unfounded.
One victim of the syndrome – an FBI agent – told 60 Minutes about her experience of being hit by a powerful force at her home in Florida 2021.
“Bam, inside my right ear, it was like a dentist drilling on steroids,” she told the programme. “That feeling when it gets too close to your eardrum? It’s like that, times 10.”
The woman – known as Carrie – said she ultimately passed out, and later had issues with memory and concentration.
Responding to the report, US officials told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that they would “continue to closely examine anomalous health incidents”, but repeated their position that it was “very unlikely a foreign adversary is responsible”.
But they said they did “not call into question the very real experiences and symptoms that our colleagues and their family members have reported”, saying their work on such incidents was a priority.
