The US Department of Defense does not claim that Russia may allegedly be related to the manifestation of symptoms in American civil servants in Vienna similar to those previously observed in US diplomats in Cuba and became known as the "Havana syndrome". This was stated on Monday, July 19, at a regular briefing by Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby.
"I have seen these media reports about the "Havana syndrome", which, I think, you are talking about. I can't claim responsibility for this right now. We take the safety of our employees very seriously," the representative of the US military department stressed.
Kirby noted that he is not going to " link this to a specific cause or country." At the same time, he said that the Pentagon "always remembers Russia's actions with the aim of destabilizing the world." According to him, the United States is "working closely with allies and partners, including NATO, to try to contain these destabilizing actions as best as possible."
On July 16, it was reported that this year at least 20 American civil servants in the Austrian capital had mysterious ailments similar to the Havana syndrome. Diplomats complained of sudden dizziness and headaches of unknown origin. The reasons for such health problems are not clear, the States are investigating, since complaints can be a consequence of the"Havana syndrome".
According to officials, the number of possible new cases is much higher than in any other city, except for Havana itself, where cases of such a malaise have been noted.
In 2016, employees of the US diplomatic missions in Cuba, and in 2017 in China complained about alleged sound attacks. The diplomats reported dizziness, head noises, vibrations, nausea, problems with vision and cognitive functions. Then experts admitted that the reason could be attacks with "directed energy".
The Cuban authorities then said that the sound attacks actually turned out to be only sounds made by cicadas outside the window of the diplomatic mission.
A CIA spokesman said the agency's director, William Burns ," has personally interacted with personnel affected by abnormal health conditions and is very committed to their concerns and determining the causes of these incidents."
In private, Burns called the diseases " attacks, "<url> reported.
On June 27, the American media reported that US intelligence suggests that Russia is allegedly responsible for a number of mysterious incidents with American civil servants abroad, who could have been subjected to secret acoustic attacks. However, no evidence was provided of the guilt attributed to Moscow in committing such attacks.