Schneier on Security

ResearcherZero • October 10, 2026 6:19 AM

The Australian Government has effectively abandoned its citizens after they were attacked at home by a foreign power. Despite government awareness and extensive medical testing that immediately followed the attacks that took place in Western Australia, both Federal and State governments have no program or processes to assist victims of “Havana Syndrome”.

Medical testing identified a range of neurological and physical impacts consistent with what was later discovered in the United States, and the attending medical practitioners were well aware of what had caused the resulting injuries, as they had discussed the device with the experts who examined the weapon immediately following each of the attacks.

Unlike the United States inquiries and subsequent assistance program, nothing exists in Australia to support or investigate the harm caused, or even recognize the symptoms. The attacks were all quietly swept under the rug and still continue to remain unacknowledged.

The attacks in Western Australia began in the second half of the 1980’s. An agent working for the GRU was witnessed conducting the first attack using the energy weapon in the city of Perth. Many of the same physical effects described in later accounts, were experienced by those attacked with the weapon over the next few years.

A loss of motor function and muscle control, the sensation of being drawn down towards the ground, nausea, cognitive impairment and the feeling that consciousness could slip away. In that first incident the subject did lose consciousness very quickly, as they were attacked while laying on a deck chair in the backyard of a suburban home. The attacker had leaned over the fence from the neighbouring property and aimed the emitter directly down over the head of the target, at near point-blank range.

The man who operated the device was quickly detained by members of the Western Australian police force at his property, which was located directly behind the neighbouring property from where he had leaned over the fence with the emitter. A thick insulated cable led from the emitter back to the modular units that controlled the power output and parameters, along with the power unit. The equipment that he had used was examined by experts from the Australian Signals Directorate. The ASD members were present in the same backyard as the subject who was attacked, when the incident took place, and they had witnessed the entire event unfold.

Further attacks followed. The same agent working for the GRU carried out each attack. The attacks took place at close proximity, with multiple witnesses present, who clearly saw the assailant aim the emitter directly at his chosen target. The man responsible was detained on another three occasions immediately following those incidents. The equipment was examined at the scene by the relevant experts on at least two of those occasions.

(The equipment was ordered to be handed back to the GRU agent by government prosecutors.)

The Australian government behaved in much the same way as the U.S. government. Immediate cover-up. The excuse given at the time by members of the government, was that they wanted to “avoid an international incident.” Repeated and unprovoked attack against unsuspecting members of the public, by undeclared agents operating on the behalf of a foreign power, is an international incident of great concern.

The weapon was being tested for its effectiveness against subjects in different situations (fixed/mobile), at varying ranges, lengths of exposure, and periods of frequency.

For some time after the attack, difficulty in performing tasks and concentration persisted. A dazed feeling similar to after a concussion, with memory loss and difficulty in recall. Impaired cognitive performance, intermittent lingual and grammatic difficulty, decreased energy, lowered situational awareness and sharpness.

The last known attack took place in Western Australia in 1992. It is possible that different settings for the weapon were also tested. Since that date, given the accounts of later victims from the United States, it appears the power and effect of the weapon is now more severe.

For some, areas of memory loss persisted for a very long time. With individuals forgetting names of people they knew, events, or periods of time that has passed in their lives. They were essentially robbed of formative experiences and periods in their lives, leaving them at a disadvantage and without important information vital to their safety and security.

Inadequate response by our own governments allowed the Russian government to improve the potency of their weapon system, using our citizens as unwitting test subjects for decades. No assistance was provided to Australian citizens who were attacked. No effort to help is being planned by the Australian Government.

Australia owes its service members and its citizens much greater respect and support. The Australian Government knowingly left people in harms way, when vulnerable and defenseless.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/oct/10/havana-syndrome-mystery-cia-russia