A new Insider, Der Speigel, and CBS investigation may have found a link between the so-called “Havana Syndrome” and a Russian intelligence agency.
While Moscow has officially denied such accusations, the new findings indicate that directed-energy devices could be the cause.
For the unaware, Havana Syndrome is an unexplained medical condition reported by U.S. and Canadian government officials and military personnel primarily stationed overseas. First reported at the American Embassy in Havana, Cuba, symptoms range from severe headaches to ringing in the ears.
In the worst cases, reported sufferers even reported extreme cognitive dysfunction. Since around 2017, more individuals, including U.S. intelligence and military personnel and their families, have also reported Havana Syndrome-like symptoms. They have also been stationed in various regions such as China, India, Europe, and Washington, D.C.
While previous investigations had suggested that no foreign powers were to blame, the new investigation contradicts this conclusion. However, their assessment of “anomalous health incidents” (AHIs)— delivered last year— did not offer any alternative explanation.
Is Russia to blame for Havana Syndrome?
During last year’s NATO summit in Lithuania, a senior defense department official reported symptoms resembling Havana syndrome. Around 1,000 cases of the mysterious ailment have been reported, with dozens of cases still unexplained. Legislation has been passed to support victims.
A recent study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) did not find evidence of brain injuries in U.S. personnel who reported AHIs through MRI scans.
While there has long been a suspicion that those affected were hit by directed energy or microwaves fired from hidden devices, little direct or indirect evidence has come to the fore.
However, the new Insider et al. investigation suggests that a specific Russian military intelligence unit could be the cause.
Dubbed Unit 29155, the unit may have targeted the brains of U.S. diplomats with “directed energy” weapons. There is evidence that places members of this unit in cities around the world when U.S. personnel report incidents.
Responding to the media investigation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the accusations, emphasizing on the lack of convincing evidence to support these claims.
Denying accusations
The BBC reports that one victim of the syndrome told 60 Minutes about her experience. Reportedly an FBI agent, she explained how she felt she was being hit by a “powerful force” at her home in Florida in 2021.
“Bam, inside my right ear, it was like a dentist drilling on steroids,” she told 60 Minutes. “That feeling when it gets too close to your eardrum? It’s like that, times 10,” she added.
Responding to the report, U.S. officials told CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. 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.”
However, they said they did “not call into question the very real experiences and symptoms that our colleagues and their family members have reported.” They also stressed that their work on such incidents was a priority.
John Bolton, Donald Trump’s national security adviser, expressed his concerns about the new allegations. “I don’t think the government, frankly, when I was there, took it seriously enough,” he told CNN. I don’t think they’ve taken it seriously enough since then, either,” he added.
