Havana syndrome was first reported in 2016, when US diplomats in the Cuban capital began complaining of symptoms such as nausea after hearing piercing noises at night. All this has led to speculation about a possible attack by a foreign entity using an unnamed sonic weapon.
Later, staff at embassies in China, Europe and the US capital Washington DC reported other symptoms, including nosebleeds, headaches and vision problems.
According to a joint investigation by The Insider, Der Spiegel and CBS’ 60 Minutes, the diplomats may have been targeted by the Russians.
A year-long investigation “revealed evidence suggesting that the origin of the unexplained anomalous medical conditions, also known as the ‘Havana Syndrome’, may be linked to (Russia’s GRU) Unit No. Directed energy weapons used by 29,155 members,” the study said.
Russia’s military intelligence unit 29155 is responsible for overseas operations and has been blamed for several incidents overseas, including the attempted poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom in 2018.
On Monday, Moscow dismissed the allegations as baseless.
“This topic has been discussed in the press for many years. And from the very beginning, it is usually associated with the Russian side,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference.
“But no one has ever come forward with any conclusive evidence, so it’s all just baseless and unmeasured allegations,” he said.
In 2018, Washington closed the Havana immigration office in response to changes in U.S. policy toward Cuba and fears at the time that “Havana Syndrome” was caused by a microwave or other electronic attack.
US intelligence also said in 2022 that intense directed energy from an external source may have caused some cases of “Havana Syndrome”, officially known as Anomalous Health Disorders (AHI).
However, in March 2023, intelligence agencies concluded that “there is no credible evidence that any foreign adversary has a weapon or collection device that triggers AHI.”
Washington announced the reopening of its immigration office in Havana in August 2023.
A joint study suggests that the first cases of “Havana Syndrome” in Germany may have occurred as much as two years earlier than those recorded in 2016 in Havana, which gave the syndrome its name.
“The attacks in Frankfurt, Germany, two years ago were likely when a US government employee working at the consulate there was knocked unconscious by what appeared to be a powerful energy beam,” the study said.
In July 2021, The New Yorker wrote that since the same year that President Joe Biden took office, about two dozen US intelligence officers, diplomats and other government officials in Austria have reported symptoms similar to the “Havana syndrome.”
The United States sent medical and scientific experts to investigate the alleged attacks, and the victims were thoroughly examined in an attempt to understand their ailments.
