On April 9, the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) accused Georgian media of trying to discredit the service for republishing reports of the journalistic investigation conducted by 60 Minutes, The Insider, and Der Spiegel, which identified alleged cases of Russian sonic attacks – dubbed “Havana Syndrom” – on some U.S. officials in Tbilisi.
The SSSG stressed that both the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the U.S. State Department have “questioned the validity of the investigation” and have not confirmed the cases mentioned in it. It claimed that the official U.S. response was “completely exhaustive” and thus “fully satisfying the interest of the public.” SSSG said that given the official U.S. position, “it is not necessary [for it] to argue again the groundlessness of the current version” of the events presented by the media.
“It is unfortunate that despite the comprehensive explanation provided by the American partners, there were still politically agitated individuals and media outlets in Georgia who, as usual, tried to use this issue for speculation and attempts to discredit the State Security Service,” – reads the SSSG statement.
The Agency emphasizes that despite the heightened threats in the region, Georgia’s security is protected at the highest level, “which is also reflected in the peaceful coexistence of recent years.” The SSSG statement did not clarify what “coexistence” it had in mind.
Notably, the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Department stood by the intelligence community’s 2023 assessment, saying that the involvement of hostile powers was “highly unlikely.” The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the CIA, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, declined to comment when approached by the Voice of America (VoA). But the Worldwide Threat Assessment issued by ODNI noted: “IC agencies have varying confidence levels because we still have gaps given the challenges collecting on foreign adversaries — as we do on many issues involving them,” the assessment added, noting intelligence analysts continue to monitor developments “in areas we have identified as requiring additional research and analysis.”
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