Image Credits: Image Title: New Investigation Links Russia’s GRU Unit 29155 to Havana Syndrome Cases. Source: (chatgpt.com) Date: May 2026. Attribution: This image was created using AI-generated imagery (chatgpt.com) by Open Chronicle and does not depict a real-world scene.
By Open Chronicle with agencies
A yearlong investigation by The Insider, in collaboration with 60 Minutes and Der Spiegel, has uncovered new evidence suggesting that mysterious health incidents affecting US officials and their families may be linked to Russia’s military intelligence unit known as GRU Unit 29155.
The unexplained incidents, widely known as Havana Syndrome, have affected American diplomats, intelligence officers, military personnel, and family members across several countries.
Victims have reported sudden symptoms including intense head pressure, ringing in the ears, vertigo, nausea, insomnia, cognitive problems, and, in some cases, traumatic brain injuries.
The investigation points to possible use of directed energy weapons by members of Unit 29155, a Russian sabotage and assassination squad already associated with overseas poisonings, explosions, and covert destabilization operations.
Tbilisi Case Raises New Questions
One of the central cases involves an American nurse identified under the pseudonym Joy, the wife of a US Embassy official in Tbilisi, Georgia.
On Oct. 7, 2021, Joy said she was inside her home when she suddenly heard an intense ringing sound, felt severe pressure in her head, and developed a piercing headache. She later vomited and checked the security cameras outside the house.
She saw a black Mercedes parked near her property and later noticed a tall, thin, blond man outside. Years later, she identified him as resembling Albert Averyanov, a young Russian operative linked to Unit 29155 and the son of Gen. Andrei Averyanov, a senior GRU figure.
According to the investigation, US officials said Averyanov was in Tbilisi around the time of the incident.
Alleged Directed Energy Weapons
The investigation claims senior members of Unit 29155 received awards and promotions connected to research involving “non-lethal acoustic weapons,” a term used in Russian military literature to describe devices involving sound or radiofrequency energy.
Such technology has long been discussed as a possible cause of Havana Syndrome because many victims describe symptoms that appear directional, sudden, and localized.
The investigation also cites Russian research programs involving electromagnetic radiation, ultrasound, and other directed energy systems.
Experts previously convened by the US intelligence community have said some cases could plausibly involve external energy sources, though a 2023 US intelligence assessment concluded it was “very unlikely” that a foreign adversary was responsible.
Earlier Cases in Germany and China
The investigation suggests some incidents may have occurred earlier than the known Havana cases.
One reported case in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2014 involved a US government employee who experienced sudden pressure, nausea, a high-pitched sound, and loss of consciousness. The person was later diagnosed with traumatic brain injury.
The investigation also linked Unit 29155’s travel patterns to Europe around that period.
Other cases later emerged in Guangzhou, China, where US officials and family members reported symptoms that led to medical evacuations.
One State Department official, Mark Lenzi, said he and his family were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after serving in China.
Unit 29155’s Known Record
Unit 29155 has previously been linked to some of Russia’s most notorious covert operations abroad.
Western investigators have associated the unit with the 2018 Novichok poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England.
The unit has also been tied to the poisoning of Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev, explosions at ammunition depots in Bulgaria and Czechia, and a failed coup attempt in Montenegro before the country joined NATO.
The new investigation argues that Havana Syndrome cases may fit within the same pattern of covert Russian operations targeting Western personnel.
US Government Response Under Scrutiny
Many victims have criticized Washington’s handling of Havana Syndrome, saying they feel abandoned or dismissed despite long-term medical problems.
The Havana Act, passed in 2021, provides compensation for confirmed victims of anomalous health incidents.
However, many affected officials and family members say the US government has not fully acknowledged the possibility of foreign responsibility.
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is reviewing how US agencies reached their 2023 assessment that a foreign adversary was unlikely to be responsible.
Former Defense Intelligence Agency official Greg Edgreen, who helped investigate the cases, told 60 Minutes that he believes Russia was involved.
A Continuing Intelligence Mystery
The investigation does not settle the Havana Syndrome debate, but it adds new pressure on US intelligence agencies to explain whether evidence was overlooked, dismissed, or withheld.
If the Russian link is confirmed, the incidents would represent a major covert campaign against American personnel abroad and at home.
For now, the cases remain one of the most sensitive and contested intelligence mysteries of the past decade, with victims continuing to seek answers, medical care, and public accountability.