The mysterious Havana syndrome, suffered for several years by dozens of diplomats, is linked to a Russian intelligence unit, according to an international investigation by several media published Monday.
Starting in 2016, American and Canadian diplomats stationed in Cuba reported experiencing complaints, including migraines, dizziness, nausea and vision problems.
These abnormal health incidents, according to the terminology used in the United States, were then reported elsewhere in the world (China, Germany, Australia, Russia, Austria) and even in Washington.
From the start, the affair had led to widespread speculation about its origin. Some US officials initially downplayed the symptoms sometimes attributed to stress, with others privately speaking of possible attacks and already suspecting countries like Russia.
American intelligence estimated in March 2023 that it was very unlikely that a foreign power or a weapon was at the origin of the mysterious troubles.
When asked about this, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller declined to comment directly on the investigation. However, he said the State Department and the intelligence community continued to view a foreign origin as unlikely.
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2023, the intelligence community has reached the general conclusion that it is unlikely that a foreign adversary is behind these anomalous health incidents”,”text”:”Since March 2023, the intelligence community has reached to the general conclusion that it is unlikely that a foreign adversary is the cause of these anomalous health incidents”}}”>Since March 2023, the intelligence community has reached the general conclusion that it is unlikely It is likely that a foreign adversary is behind these abnormal health incidents, Mr. Miller told reporters.
Russia’s possible sonic weapon
But according to an investigation published by the independent Russian newspaper The Insiderthe German magazine The mirror and the American channel CBS, these diplomats may have been the target of a sonic weapon from Russia.
The investigation, which lasted more than a year, said it 29155″,”text”:”discovered elements suggesting that these abnormal health incidents […] could come from the use of directed energy weapons, wielded by members of the unit29155″}}”>discovered elements suggesting that these abnormal health incidents […] could come from the use of directed energy weapons, wielded by members of unit 29155 of the GRU, the Russian military intelligence service.
Unit 29155 is responsible for overseas operations and has already found itself at the center of several cases. She was notably accused of the attempted poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom in 2018.
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Soldiers decontaminate a site in the Maltings shopping district of Salisbury, England, on April 25, 2018, near the bench where Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found.
Their scope is global for the conduct of lethal operations and acts of sabotage, The Insider a former senior official of the CIA, the American intelligence agency.
Moscow on Monday rejected the investigation as baseless.
This subject has been inflated in the press for several years now. And from the beginning, it has often been associated with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference.
But no one has ever published convincing evidence, so it’s all nothing more than a baseless accusation, he said.
The investigation by the three media suggests that the first cases of Havana syndrome occurred in Germany two years before those reported in Cuba in 2016. In Frankfurt, an employee at the United States consulate lost consciousness due to this which would be likened to a strong ray of energy.
