​A mysterious condition known as “Havana syndrome” that has afflicted American diplomats and spies around the world was likely triggered by an energy weapon used by members of a Russian military intelligence subversive unit, a media investigation by The Insider has found. , in collaboration with 60 Minutes and Der Spiegel.

A chair used to diagnose American diplomatic personnel suffering from Havana syndromePhoto: Matias J. Ocner / Zuma Press / Profimedia Images

A U.S. intelligence investigation released last year found it “highly unlikely” that a foreign adversary was responsible for the condition, which was first noticed by U.S. embassy staff in the Cuban capital, Havana, in 2016.

Symptoms of the disease included migraines, nausea, memory loss and dizziness.

But Insider, a Russia-focused media group based in Riga, Latvia, is now reporting that members of Russia’s military intelligence unit (GRU), known under the code number 29155, have been consistently at the scene of health incidents involving the American staff involved.

The insider investigation, conducted in cooperation with journalists from the American 60 Minutes (CBS News) and the German Der Spiegel, also revealed that high-ranking members of Unit 29155 were awarded and promoted for work related to the development of “non-lethal acoustic weapons.” .

Officially, Russia has previously denied its involvement.

The Insider’s investigation revealed, among other things, that the first incident with symptoms of “Havana syndrome” may have occurred earlier than 2016.

The paper noted that “the attacks are believed to have occurred two years earlier in Frankfurt, Germany, when a US government employee stationed at the consulate there was knocked unconscious by what appeared to be a powerful energy beam.”

Later, the victim was diagnosed with a brain injury, and it was also possible to identify the agent of the unit 29155, based in Geneva, writes The Insider.

In 2021, the US Congress passed the Havana Act, which allowed the State Department, the CIA and other US government agencies to pay compensation to employees injured during the mission.