Pentagon tests mysterious device with Russian parts amid Havana syndrome probe

Sources say that a unit of the US Department of Homeland Security purchased an unknown device using Pentagon funds toward the end of the term of the 46th US president, Joseph Biden. The device reportedly cost an “eight-figure sum,” though sources did not disclose the exact amount.

The device is currently being studied and is already being linked to dozens of anomalous health incidents that still have no official explanation. While skepticism remains within government circles, the debate is ongoing.

One source said the device contains Russian components, although it cannot be described as entirely Russian in origin. It emits pulsed radio waves. It also remains unclear how a device powerful enough to cause severe health damage could be made portable.

Havana syndrome

In late 2016, a group of US intelligence officers and diplomats stationed in Cuba’s capital suddenly began experiencing symptoms consistent with brain injury, including dizziness and severe headaches. The cause of the illness was never determined.

In subsequent years, cases of “Havana syndrome” were recorded in many parts of the world. In almost all instances, the victims were primarily US citizens — diplomats, military personnel, intelligence officers, and others.

Since the first incidents, the Pentagon and US intelligence agencies have sought to determine whether the victims were subjected to an energy attack of unknown origin carried out by a foreign government. Publicly, officials said there was no evidence to support this theory.

However, those affected have insisted that the government deliberately ignored evidence pointing to a Russian attack. The study of the device that ended up in US hands may now represent a turning point in the case.

“Defense officials considered their findings serious enough that late last year they briefed the House and Senate intelligence committees, citing the acquired device and the results of its testing,” the outlet reports.

A mystery within a mystery

Very little is known about the mysterious device itself or the circumstances of its acquisition. It has not been possible to determine when, where, or from whom it was purchased, or the exact amount paid — only that it cost “millions of dollars.”

It also remains unclear how the US government learned of the device’s existence or whether it is truly connected to Havana syndrome. The syndrome itself remains a mystery to the medical community, while related intelligence remains classified.

US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, have consistently said that an “energy attack” is unlikely, though they have not fully ruled it out. This stance has angered many victims, some of whom paid with their careers after being forced into early retirement due to persistent symptoms. They see the existence of the device as a “potential vindication.”

“If the [US government] has indeed uncovered such devices, then the CIA owes all the victims a f**king major and public apology for how we have been treated as pariahs,” said CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos, who suffered from Havana syndrome while working in Moscow in 2017.

It should be noted that on January 3, the United States carried out a large-scale special operation in Venezuela, launching airstrikes on the capital, Caracas. The goal of the operation was to detain Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who was reportedly flown to the US along with his wife, Cilia Flores.

During the US operation in Venezuela, 100 people were killed. Maduro’s security detail, as well as Cuban military personnel and intelligence officers, were reportedly killed. According to media reports, US forces used an “unknown weapon” that allowed them to seize the dictator without suffering losses.

Maduro’s guards and foreign mercenaries were effectively rendered combat-ineffective, journalists claim: they vomited blood, lost consciousness, and were unable to resist US special forces during the assault on the Miraflores Palace.