Mysterious ‘Havana Syndrome’ Afflicting U.S. Diplomats Linked To Russia In New Report

The mysterious “Havana syndrome” illness that has affected U.S. diplomats and spies may have ties to Russia. The findings came from The Insider, Der Spiegel and CBS’s 60 Minutes investigation.

Havana syndrome refers to a series of symptoms affecting U.S. diplomats and spies who spent time in Havana, Cuba and other nations serving the federal government. The first reports of this illness originated in 2016 from U.S. and Canadian officials in Cuba. 

Over the years, government officials have reported similar experiences globally in countries such as China and India. The illnesses were also known as “anomalous health incidents.” Symptoms include dizziness, headaches, tinnitus and even cognitive impairment.

Investigations into the illnesses hypothesized that they were the result of “acoustic weapons” or “sonic attacks,” but findings have not been conclusive. Now, a report from 60 Minutes claims Russia is behind “Havana syndrome.”

The Kremlin denied these claims, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters, “This is not a new topic at all; for many years the topic of the so-called ‘Havana Syndrome’ has been exaggerated in the press, and from the very beginning it was linked to accusations against the Russian side.”

“But no one has ever published or expressed any convincing evidence of these unfounded accusations anywhere. Therefore, all this is nothing more than baseless, unfounded accusations by the media.”

The report claims Havana syndrome may have been around before the 2016 incidents. The report cites a case where a “U.S. government official employee [stationed in Frankfurt, Germany] was knocked unconscious by something akin to a strong energy beam.”

U.S. intelligence agencies have stated that they do not believe foreign powers are at fault for the illnesses.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has pushed an aggressively anti-U.S. foreign policy in recent years, but attacking U.S. diplomats would be a grave escalation. Putin’s nemesis, Alexey Navalny, recently died in a Russian prison and numerous foes have been poisoned overseas.