Georgia implicated: alleged Russian military unit’s role in Havana Syndrome unveiled

A recent joint investigation by The Insider, CBS News programme 60 Minutes, and Der Spiegel has revealed allegations over alleged involvement of personnel from the 29155 military unit of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces in incidents, including in Georgia, related to the so-called Havana Syndrome – a mysterious illness linked to the Russian intelligence that has affected US diplomats. 

The investigative journalists conducted a year-long examination, drawing connections between the movements of Russian military intelligence agents and reported cases of Havana Syndrome affecting American diplomats, officials, and intelligence officers across different regions of the globe.

Their findings suggest correlation between the presence of Unit 29155 operatives and the emergence of Havana Syndrome symptoms among American personnel during corresponding timeframes and locations.

For instance, instances of Havana Syndrome among Americans aligned temporally and spatially with the movements of agents from the main directorate of the general staff in Europe in 2014, coinciding with peculiar attacks on American consulate employees in Frankfurt am Main.

Similarly, following the arrival of a contingent of 29155 agents in China during 2016-2017, American diplomats began reporting unusual health issues. Furthermore, in 2021, in Georgia, where Unit 29155 personnel were stationed, the wife of an American diplomat was diagnosed with symptoms resembling Minor’s syndrome. Similar patterns were observed in Belgrade and Hanoi in 2021.

According to the investigation, two purported victims exhibiting symptoms of Havana syndrome identified alleged perpetrators from photographs: Yegor Gordienko was reportedly seen before his health declined in Frankfurt am Main, while Albert Averianov, son of unit commander Andrei Averianov, was allegedly spotted in Tbilisi.

Notably, the spouse of an American diplomat, an attaché of the US Department of Justice at the US Embassy in Tbilisi, recalled feeling unwell in Digomi, Tbilisi, and subsequently noticing a black Mercedes and a tall, slender individual captured by her home security camera. She photographed the individual and his vehicle with her phone. Only three years later, upon being shown a photo of Albert Averianov, she recognized him as the individual from the incident.

Senior figures within the unit were purportedly recognized and rewarded for their contributions to the development of “non-lethal acoustic weapons,” a term referenced in Russian military-scientific literature encompassing both ultrasound- and radio-frequency-based energy devices,  the journalists reported.