It’s called “Havana syndrome.” A mysterious illness which began by striking diplomats based in Cuba. Since then, it has spread all over the world. An investigation, carried out by several media and published this Monday, reveals that Russian military intelligence services could be closely linked. 20 minutes explains everything to you.
What are we talking about ?
Migraines, dizziness, nausea, vision problems… In 2016, dozens of American and Canadian diplomats based in Cuba were successively struck by sudden and, above all, unexplained illnesses. Hence the expression “Havana syndrome”.
These “abnormal health incidents”, according to the terminology used in the United States, were then reported elsewhere in the world: in China, Germany, Australia and Austria but also in Russia and Washington.
Is it dangerous?
Extensive examinations carried out on patients did not reveal “notable” brain damage. With the exception of “symptoms of fatigue”, “post-traumatic stress” or “depression”, notes an American health agency.
However, its results have been called into question by other researchers who believe that current MRI technology, used during these examinations, is “potentially insensitive, or poorly calibrated” to detect the characteristics of the mysterious disorders.
“It is important to recognize that these symptoms do exist. They cause significant disruption in the lives of those affected, and can be quite long-lasting, disabling, and difficult to treat,” said Leighton Chan, researcher for the INH (national institutes of health).
How to explain it?
From the start, the affair led to widespread speculation about its origin. Some American officials initially downplayed the symptoms sometimes attributed to stress. Others have spoken privately of possible attacks, already suspecting countries like Russia, even if American intelligence had estimated, in March 2023, “very unlikely” that a foreign power or a weapon was at the origin of the unrest. mysterious.
This Monday, an international investigation reveals that Russia is closely linked to the affair. The independent Russian newspaper The Insiderthe German magazine Der Spiegel, and the American channel CBS, claim that these diplomats may have been the target of a sonic weapon used by the Russian military intelligence service. A weapon wielded by members of Unit 29155.
This unit, responsible for operations abroad, 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. “Their scope of action is global for the conduct of lethal operations and acts of sabotage,” believes a former senior CIA official to The Insider.
What does Russia respond to?
Moscow immediately rejected this “unfounded accusation”. “This subject has been inflated in the press for several years now. And from the beginning, it has often been associated with Russia,” regretted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov at a press conference. “But no one has ever published convincing evidence,” he adds.