FBI investigator who grilled Russian spy posing as a chef in Florida reveals how she later came down with Havana Syndrome - as officials warn Kremlin IS behind the phenomenon

An FBI investigator came down with a mysterious case of 'Havana Syndrome' after spending hours with an alleged Russian spy posing as a chef, it has emerged.

A bombshell report by Insider, 60 Minutes and Der Spiegel claims that an anonymous FBI interrogator suffered excruciating pain out of the blue after spending hours with Russian immigrant Vitalii Kovalev. 

Kovalev had made local headlines in Florida in June 2020 after being arrested for a high-speed chase through Key West, Florida. 

The arrest led officers to find a collection of curious items including bank account information on notepads, a device used to read an onboard computer, and a Russian passport.

It was also found that he was a high-level chef that had cooked for an array of celebrities and influential figures on the East Coast, even appearing on morning cooking segments on TV. 

The outlets claim to have discovered evidence that Kovalev was a member of Russia's military intelligence service - linking him to the use of a specialized energy wave weapon that has been suspected of being used by Russia to target US officials overseas. 

Vitalii Kovalev was arrested in June 2020 for a high-speed chase through Key West, Florida, which uncovered mysterious links to the Kremlin 

Kovalev had been a high-level chef in New York and had catered for the rich and famous, all while being suspected of being a Russian spy 

Kovalev seen during his June 2020 arrest. When the FBI interrogated him after his arrest, one agent claimed to begin suffering Havana Syndrome 

The rise of 'Havana Syndrome' began in 2016, when US officials began reporting strange illnesses, including painful tinnitus in their ears and brain injuries. 

After years of speculation, a whistleblower this week warned that the Pentagon had suspected Russia was behind the attacks, but it was afraid to acknowledge it over fears of sparking war. 

Research by The Insider, a Russia-focused investigative media group based in Riga, Latvia, reported that the Havana syndrome may be linked to energy weapons wielded by members of a Russian military intelligence sabotage unit.

The outlet joint-published evidence linking Kovalev to the illness of one FBI interrogator, alleging that Havana Syndrome has been linked to 'a directed energy weapon wielded by operatives of GRU Unit (Kovalev's unit) 29155.'

When he was arrested in Florida on June 16, 2020, Kovalev had led Key West cops on a daring 115mph chase in his white convertible Mustang. 

He had been seen talking on a cell phone as he swerved into traffic, and carried on for 15 miles until his vehicle was stopped by spike strips and he was apprehended. 

Officers found a strange collection of items in the car, including a bowl that had seemingly had paper burned in it, a notepad with bank account information for $75,000, and a device used to read information off an onboard computer. 

Kovalev was said to have exhibited bizarre behavior once handcuffed in a cop car, speaking in both Russian and English in a conversational manner despite not appearing to have any kind of communication device or phone on him. 

He was identified by his Russian passport in the car, noting that he hailed from St Petersburg, had a green card, and lived in New York. 

Once in custody in Florida, he pleaded guilty to charges of resisting an officer, evading police, and assaulting a nurse who administered a COVID-19 test. 

Kovalev's arrest led officers to find a collection of curious items including bank account information on notepads, a device used to read an onboard computer, and a Russian passport 

During his time as a chef in New York, Kovalev found success and even appeared in morning TV cooking segments 

He spent 26 months in jail in Florida from June 2020 to August 2022, and according to 60 Minutes, FBI agents took a particular interest in the speed chaser during his first six months behind bars. 

FBI agents spent a total of around 80 hours interviewing Kovalev, with one of the interrogators - listed only as Carrie - claiming to suffer from Havana Syndrome as a result. 

Kovalev was reportedly offered the chance to admit he was a Russian agent, but declined. Within months of this, Carrie claimed to begin suffering excruciating pain.

'All of a sudden, it was like somebody flipped a switch, and bam, inside my right ear, it was like a dentist drilling on steroids,' she told 60 Minutes. 

'It was like a high pitched, metallic drilling noise, and it knocked me forward at, like, a 45-degree angle this way. Immediately [I] felt pressure, and pressure and pain started coursing from inside my right ear, down my jaw, down my neck, and into my chest, while that sound was concentrated inside my right ear.' 

She also claimed to suffer similar symptoms a year later on a separate posting to California, and said she is still 'not the same as I used to be.' 

While Kovalev said that he was a chef from New York, a source reportedly said he ended up in Florida using techniques common among intelligence circles to avoid detection, including leaving multiple hotel bookings open. 

He was also found to have pictures of a notable building in Key West, and a picture of the lock on the front gate. 

According to the outlets, the Florida city is known to attract foreign espionage attempts as it hosts several US government and military facilities. 

However, while he was ostensibly a chef, documents allege to show that he studied military engineering at Russia's leading institute in the industry, the St. Petersburg State Marine Technical University. 

Kovalev's time in Florida and New York has allegedly linked him to 'Havana Syndrome' instances, which some have claimed is due to Russian officials targeting US staff overseas 

Alleged transcripts showed that Kovalev had graduated college with classes including 'protection of state and commercial secrets,' 'electroacoustic transducers,' and 'digital signal processing techniques' 

His reported transcripts also showed that he had graduated with classes including 'protection of state and commercial secrets,' 'electroacoustic transducers,' and 'digital signal processing techniques.' 

Kovalev was sent off to New York and DC with barely any experience in St Petersburg restaurants, on a special talents visa. 

However, this was potentially a front for the man who had allegedly been found to have a secret military clearance at X3, a level he obtained from working as an electronics engineer in a military engineering facility. 

While not the highest level of clearance, it is notable as he would not have been allowed to leave Russia without express clearance from the FSB, Russia's infamous intelligence bureau. 

He was led out of Florida prison in August 2022, and briefly travelled home to Belgrade before he left to Rostov-on-Don, near the Ukrainian border.

After crossing into Ukraine on New Year's Eve in 2022, he was not seen again - until the report claimed a death warrant emerged from February 8, 2023. 

His death hadn't undergone any investigation, against Russian military protocol, and the death certificate claimed he died from traumatic hemothorax and multiple fractures of the ribs, 'wounds caused by unclarified military actions during a period of active service.' 

The report concludes that Kovalev was recognized by an anonymous senior US government official, who said they remembered him to be a technical officer for the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service, as well as a member of the FSB cyber unit called the 16th Directorate. 

They claim that the links bolster claims that the Kremlin has been behind the mysterious targeting of US officials posted overseas.