Former U.S. national-security adviser John Bolton has criticized both Canada and the United States for insufficiently investigating the possibility that Russia used directed-energy weapons against diplomats in Cuba, leading to a cluster of unexplained illnesses known as Havana Syndrome. Bolton made the remarks on Friday, recalling his suspicions of Russian involvement after being briefed on symptoms affecting U.S. personnel in Havana during President Donald Trump’s first term.
Between 2016 and 2018, Canadian and American diplomats stationed in Cuba, along with some family members, reported sudden onset of neurological symptoms including nosebleeds, dizziness, blurred vision, confusion, and memory loss. These symptoms reportedly followed nighttime incidents during which affected individuals heard unusual noises at their residences. The condition prompted widespread concern and debate over its origins.
Bolton noted that Russia had previously experimented with directed-energy technologies and suggested that Cuba’s environment allowed Russian operatives more freedom to conduct such activities outside Moscow. “It was a place other than Moscow where the Russians could operate with complete freedom of action,” he said, adding that other locations had also seen similar incidents. Bolton speculated that Canadian diplomats’ involvement in intelligence sharing with U.S. agencies, potentially including the use of U.S.-supplied satellite equipment in Havana, might have made them particular targets. Canada is part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, raising the possibility of coordinated espionage activities. Global Affairs Canada (GAC), however, denied any involvement of Canadian diplomats in espionage and directed affected personnel to seek support through the Federal Workers’ Compensation Service.
A 2024 lawsuit brought by Canadian diplomats, which remains sealed under a court-imposed publication ban enforced after the U.S. Justice Department applied a national-security provision, alleges the use of Russian sonic weaponry in causing these symptoms. This legal action followed media investigations suggesting involvement of Russian military intelligence.
Despite these allegations, the U.S. National Intelligence Council (NIC) reported in 2023 that five of seven U.S. intelligence agencies considered it “very unlikely” that a foreign adversary was responsible for the illnesses. Global Affairs Canada’s 2024 report reached a similar conclusion, attributing the symptoms to pre-existing medical conditions, environmental factors, and conventional illnesses. Critics, including Bolton, have called these findings inadequate and accused both governments of failing to thoroughly examine the directed-energy hypothesis.
Global Affairs Canada’s report did not reference a 2023 joint study by Canada’s National Research Council and Defence Research and Development Canada, which acknowledged that low-power lasers—classified as directed-energy weapons—are currently used in crowd control and maritime defense. That study highlighted the potential health risks and humanitarian law concerns associated with such weapons.
Bolton and Paul Miller, lawyer for the affected Canadian diplomats, condemned what they described as bureaucratic neglect. “The diplomats and their family members have not been taken care of in any way since the attacks in Havana,” Miller said, emphasizing the need for answers.
Unlike Canada, which has yet to provide compensation, the U.S. government awarded approximately US$3 million in July to American diplomats, intelligence personnel, and military members suffering from Havana Syndrome under a congressional compensation program.
On Monday, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand characterized the health issues as a human-resources matter within her department, while Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged Ottawa’s duty of care toward the diplomats and confirmed requests for detailed briefings. Former Canadian intelligence officials and security experts have called for an independent parliamentary inquiry into whether Russian forces targeted Canadian diplomats for intelligence reasons and how Ottawa handled their medical and occupational fallout.