Image of 'Evil Empire' Crumbling, Moscow Says as US Concludes 'Havana Syndrome' Not Caused by Foes

The first cases of the so-called Havana Syndrome emerged in Cuba in 2016, involving US diplomats complaining of nosebleeds, migraines and nausea after experiencing piercing sounds at night, with similar reports later surfacing around the world.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has weighed in on the conclusions by the US intelligence community that it was very unlikely that the Havana Syndrome that afflicted US personnel was caused by a foreign actor. She recalled how the US used to pin the blame on Russia for the mysterious ailment.

“So, is our image of the 'Evil Empire' crumbling before our eyes? Let me remind you that for several years the same US intelligence community and the CIA leadership, as well as the American media at their behest, claimed that star-striped diplomats were being tortured, causing them to hallucinate and feel sick. [They claimed that] special services of the 'axis of evil,' primarily Russia, were allegedly behind this," Zakharova wrote in her Telegram channel.

On Wednesday, multiple American intelligence agencies concluded it was "very unlikely" the mysterious illness was caused by a foreign actor. According to the intelligence assessment, five agencies concluded that available intelligence "consistently" points at a "very unlikely" involvement of US adversaries, including Russia, in causing the reported incidents.

More specifically, the agencies found that the medical analysis, which has evolved since the first reports of the incidents, points away from adversary involvement.

The intelligence report was released hours after the Washington Post's exclusive on the report, which also revealed that the same intelligence agencies concluded it was “very unlikely” that any foreign adversary targeted US diplomats and intelligence staff with the help of some sort of energy weapon that caused strange and painful acoustic sensations.

According to the analysts, who examined clusters of reported cases, including at US embassies, there was no pattern or common set of conditions that could link individual cases. Nor did they find evidence that would suggest an adversary had used an energy weapon, such as radio waves or ultrasonic beams, to cause the condition. One of the officials told the newspaper that in some cases, there was no “direct line of sight” to affected staff at US facilities, further questioning the possibility that a hypothetical energy weapon could have been used.

The report contradicts repeated claims by victims of the alleged attacks and US lawmakers and officials who claimed that Russian intelligence agencies could've been behind "the illness."

US diplomats were first diagnosed with Havana Syndrome in Cuba in 2016 and then in China in 2018. The diplomats said they experienced piercing sounds that have caused longer-term health effects. American diplomats in Russia, Tajikistan, Austria, and several African countries have also reported experiencing Havana Syndrome symptoms, including nausea and dizziness.

In 2022, the first victims of the alleged attacks reportedly began receiving compensation between $100,000 and $200,000, US President Joe Biden announced in June.