Many of the victims of the syndrome have expertise on Russia, Georgia or Ukraine

Havana Syndrome came to public attention in 2017 after more than 20 US officials from the Cuban Embassy began suffering from strange medical conditions in Havana. Since then, more than 100 other cases have emerged in places like Guangzhou, China or even Washington, among American diplomats, spies, military officers, contractors and, in some cases, among their relatives. The first “attack” of this kind, which targeted an American official, allegedly took place in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2014.

According to The Insider, these attacks would have used what the publications call “directed energy weapons”, designed after many years of scientific research by Russian intelligence officers. The medical consequences can be permanent and, in some cases, extremely serious. Symptoms include severe headaches, dizziness, insomnia, nausea, blindness or hearing loss. Some of the victims were diagnosed with serious brain disorders, being forced to withdraw from the activity. One of the victims who spoke to The Insider, the wife of an American ambassador in Tbilisi, was “attacked” in 2021 and has been suffering from enormous headaches ever since. He has undergone two operations and requires a third to stop the deterioration of his temporal bone, a condition that doctors cannot explain.

According to the publications mentioned above, unit 29155 does not have the objective of spying or collecting information from abroad, but focuses on violent military operations. Members of this unit are said to have been awarded or promoted in recent years for “developing non-lethal acoustic weapons,” terms used by Russian intelligence and literature to describe devices with directed energy and based on radio frequency and sound. A CIA official said Unit 29155’s mission is to “find, fix and terminate, all to support Vladimir Putin’s imperial dreams.” Many of the victims have expertise in Russia, Ukraine or Georgia.

Despite increasing reports of Havana syndrome, the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) issued a report in March 2023 concluding that it was “unlikely” that a foreign enemy had caused the syndrome Havana. The victims of this syndrome were not at all satisfied with the results of the report. In 2021, the Biden Administration approved the Havana Act, which provides significant compensation to victims of the syndrome.

If it turns out that Putin is behind these attacks, The Insider, Der Spiegel and 60 minutes also write, removing American intelligence officers from service by causing this syndrome could be an important strategic victory for Putin against the US.