Havana Syndrome: Shadow war against the US? | DW News Desk

The "Havana Syndrome" experienced by US diplomats may have been related to a Russian intelligence unit, according to a media investigation released on Monday. The syndrome was first reported in 2016 when US diplomats in Havana reported falling ill and hearing piercing sounds at night. Other symptoms have included bloody noses, headaches, memory lapses, dizziness and vision problems.

Diplomats may have been targeted by sonic weaponry, according to a joint report by the German news magazine Der Spiegel, the Latvia-based independent Russian news portal The Insider and the US broadcaster CBS. They reported that an investigation spanning a year had "uncovered evidence suggesting that unexplained anomalous health incidents, also known as Havana Syndrome, may have their origin in the use of directed energy weapons wielded by members of Russian GRU Unit 29155."

The Kremlin dismissed the allegations made in the trio of media outlets' reports as "groundless."

The US has had mixed reactions to reports of Havana syndrome cases. In 2021, US Congress passed the Havana Act, which authorized government agencies to pay staff and their families affected by the condition.

However, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a report in 2023 that it was "very unlikely" the syndrome was being caused by international sabotage, adding that "there is no credible evidence that a foreign adversary has a weapon or collection device that is causing [anomalous health incidents]."

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