WASHINGTON — A battle is brewing inside the US intelligence community over explosive evidence that Russia may be behind the mysterious “Havana Syndrome” illness that has sickened hundreds of US officials — as Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard pushes to make the findings public after the Biden administration allegedly buried them.
Multiple sources familiar with the case told The Post that US intelligence agencies internally concluded Moscow was responsible for the attacks dating back to 2016, but all declined to disclose the determination publicly.
US officials are also believed to have obtained at least one of the devices used in the incidents, former intelligence officials say — a potential smoking gun reported by CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday.
Victims of Havana Syndrome, so named because it was first reported by US diplomats in Cuba, have reported the sudden onset of symptoms including vertigo, hearing loss, migraines, blindness and cognitive impairment.
A classified report produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence criticizes the Biden administration’s intelligence community for conducting a cover-up, according to a source who has seen the report. However, its public release has so far been delayed.
CBS News reported that Russia was the likely culprit, but some officials worry formally blaming Moscow could complicate delicate negotiations to end the Ukraine war and deepen economic ties with Russia, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
Others say the biggest resistance to Gabbard is coming from the Central Intelligence Agency.
Asked for a response to the allegation, the CIA said “Director Ratcliffe supports DNI Gabbard’s efforts to review the AHI issue and looks forward to her report on this important matter.”
“The health and security of CIA personnel is of the utmost importance to the Director,” the agency added.
In a covert operation, American agents secretly purchased a miniaturized microwave weapon from a Russian criminal network for roughly $15 million as part of a Pentagon-backed effort to better understand the mysterious attacks, according to CBS.
Tests conducted at a US military laboratory on animals, including rats and sheep, produced neurological injuries similar to those seen in Havana Syndrome patients.
Scientists involved in earlier government investigations have also said the symptoms are most consistent with exposure to pulsed microwave or radiofrequency energy — technology that Soviet researchers studied extensively during the Cold War.
The potential implications stunned senior national security officials who were briefed in the White House Situation Room in April 2025.
Attendees left that meeting “white in the face,” according to two sources in the room, after learning the illness may be caused by a signal-based technology capable of targeting brain tissue from a distance.
Officials warned the signal could theoretically be transmitted through everyday electronics — even cell phones, potentially turning devices carried by billions into neurological weapons.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll later briefed Vice President JD Vance on the revelations, including allegations the technology’s existence had been concealed while victims’ symptoms were publicly downplayed.
Meanwhile, the first known victim of the illness — a CIA official forced into medical retirement and publicly identified only as “Adam” — told The Post that a government investigator had contacted him regarding his experiences while employed at the agency and requested names of individuals who took part in the coverup.
The investigators said Gabbard has been presented with a list of officials allegedly involved in a government cover-up.
“I’ve heard Tulsi’s report is done,” he said. “Hopefully Tulsi’s team has identified the wrongdoers and will hold them accountable.”
Investigators initially planned to offer implicated officials two weeks to come clean before suffering the loss of security clearances, termination or even referrals for possible criminal prosecution, a source familiar told The Post.
“Stage one was kind of this, like, ‘Hey, there was a cover-up,’” the person said. “Phase two was going to be the 14-day amnesty period for people to come forward and save themselves.”
Now, the process has stalled, with some of those in line to be named and shamed still holding senior positions at the CIA.
“They have the people responsible, and they’re not doing anything,” the source said. “They have the list … They have the evidence. They just won’t release it.”
A spokesperson for Gabbard’s office said the intelligence chief remains committed to releasing the findings.
“Transparency and accountability is a top priority for the DNI,” the former Hawaii congresswoman’s office said in a statement.
“DNI Gabbard remains committed to sharing findings from ODNI’s review with the American people.”
