File this under odd Cold War history that very few Americans know about – and could actually make an incredible spy thriller.
Unfortunately, this story is not only true but still has relevance today given the current frosty relations between the US and the Russian Federation.
During the Cold War, KGB archivist Vasili Mitrokhin secretly made handwritten notes of archival KGB documents between 1972 and 1984.
He did this when he supervised the move of the archive of KGB's foreign intelligence department First Chief Directorate from the Lubyanka Building to their new headquarters at Yasenevo.
He would later approach the CIA in Latvia and offer this information in exchange for travel out of the USSR, but they rejected it as possible fakes.
Mitrokhin then turned to MI6 in the UK who arranged for his defection out of Russia.
The resulting windfall of documents painted a multi-decade picture of KGB operations in nearly every Western country.
By the way, The Sword and the Shield – The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB book by Chris Andrew was required reading in my international relations – Russian studies program.
One of the shocking revelations was that the Soviets infiltrated and buried caches of nuclear weapons, explosives, and small arms in the UK (near US military bases) and in the US along the East Coast.
Perhaps more shocking, these bombs in the US have never been found.
In 1999, a different former KGB officer confirmed Vasili Mitrokhin’s notes: Soviet arms caches—including Russian nuclear weapons—are still hidden on US soil.
Col. Oleg Gordievsky, the former KGB London Chief, along with Cambridge professor Christopher Andrew (author of the book I mentioned), delivered this bombshell testimony to Congress in 1999, sending grumblings through the House Armed Services subcommittee.
The Mitrokhin files also revealed Soviet arms stashes in Switzerland and Belgium – which were successfully excavated.
Among the similar hidden stockpiles in the United States—these former KGB officers revealed that the stockpiles include portable atomic demolition units, also known as “nuclear suitcases.”
You read that right—suitcase nukes. The stuff of spy novels, but with real-world consequences.
Mitrokhin’s files, stretching back to the Bolshevik era, are now legendary in the intelligence community.
This treasure trove of classified KGB operations, including the pre-positioning of arms and explosives in NATO countries for sabotage and assassination, shows the lengths Russia was willing to go to in their hybrid warfare against the West.
And yet, despite credible evidence in 1999, the Clinton administration never pressed the Russian government for any specifics on where these caches might be located.
At the time, Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA) wasn’t happy about it. “I’m outraged the administration hasn’t even asked where these sites are in the US.”
Weldon’s frustration grew after meeting with FBI officials, who admitted they’re aware of the Mitrokhin files but have yet to question their Russian counterparts on where these potential bombs might be hidden.
Weldon’s indignation wasn’t just rhetorical—he and Rep. James Oberstar (R-MN) penned a letter to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on October 22, 1999, demanding answers: “Do we know where the nuclear suitcases are? And if not, why haven’t we asked the Russians?”
In the pre-Putin era of the 1990s, it’s possible the US still held out hope that Russia could become an ally – or at least, no longer an adversary. Perhaps this is why the administration hesitated to say anything to Russia that might cause a diplomatic row.
Adding fuel to the fire, former Russian military intelligence officer Stanislav Lunev, who defected to the US in 1992, testified before the subcommittee in 1998. He warned that some of these nuclear suitcases could indeed be within the US, based on Soviet doctrine.
According to Lunev, Russian military leaders—who still view the US as an enemy—consider war with the US inevitable.
During the hearing, lawmakers got a closer look at a notional model of one of these nuclear suitcases, which reportedly contains everything from plutonium to a neutron generator, fitting neatly into a briefcase.
Former Russian Security Council Secretary Gen. Alexander Lebed testified in 1997 that dozens of these weapons were unaccounted for—a revelation that should raise some eyebrows.
These devices, once activated, can be detonated by a single individual in under 30 minutes.
Now in 2024, former Special Boat Service (SBS) operative Duncan Falconer is confirming that Russian agents buried nuclear bombs and other warfare equipment near US and UK military bases in the 1980s.
Falconer revealed in his new book that these caches—containing nuclear suitcase bombs, nerve-agent capsules, and assault weapons—were part of Russia's covert preparations to incapacitate Western forces.
One of the largest caches was discovered near RAF Mildenhall and Lakenheath, two American Air Force bases in Suffolk, UK.
Hidden beneath the earth was an underground bunker equipped with sleeping gear, food, and a range of weapons.
The goal?
To provide a four-man Spetsnaz team with the tools they needed to strike British and American targets if war broke out.
Falconer explained that these elite Russian units would be deployed by submarines to access the secret stockpiles and execute raids aimed at crippling air force operations. The end game was to neutralize the West’s ability to retaliate.
Falconer recalled one specific mission: “British intelligence found a buried storage tank in Suffolk, designed to support a four-man team.”
“Inside, they discovered not only living accommodations but nuclear suitcase bombs—small, portable, and devastating." He added, "This wasn’t an isolated incident. We knew of multiple sites, including along America’s east coast."
Beyond weapon stockpiling, Russia’s espionage efforts extended into British waters. Falconer recounted an SBS mission to surveil a Russian fishing boat in Scottish waters.
The “crew” turned out to be Spetsnaz operatives conducting military exercises on deck, further fueling fears of hidden caches being planted across the UK.
This Cold War intrigue has echoes today.
Further confirmation comes from Viktor Baranetz, a former Kremlin spokesman, who suggested in 2017 that Russia had “seeded” nuclear bombs along the US coastline.
Although unverified, Baranetz's remarks reinforce Russia’s asymmetric tactics in response to America's massive military spending.
These bombs allegedly remain hidden and inactive, awaiting orders to strike.
In 2017, the Kremlin quickly dismissed Baranetz’s comments as "strange," urging the public to take the claims lightly.
However, experts see this as part of Russia's broader strategy of “political warfare.”
James Nixey, head of the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House, noted, “Russia regularly uses its nuclear capability as a tool to remind the world of its power. It’s a form of hybrid warfare—a psychological game designed to keep the West on edge.”
As tensions between Russia and the West continue, Moscow’s use of nuclear rhetoric, cyberattacks, and energy manipulation reveals that the Cold War mindset remains alive.
Russia’s nuclear arsenal, while sometimes a bargaining chip, serves as a reminder that the country views itself as a nuclear equal to the United States, even as its political and economic influence wanes.
So why hasn’t the US found these devices yet?
Well first, the US would need to take these claims seriously and be actively looking – which might not be happening.
If they were, these devices would be nearly impossible to find without the Kremlin’s help.
While unexploded nuclear weapons do let off some small amount of radiation, in most cases one would need to be within meters to detect it.
Granted, there have been advancements in recent years in radiation detecting: In 2018, a Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratory research team developed an exceptional next-generation material for nuclear radiation detection that could provide a significantly less expensive alternative to the detectors now in commercial use.
Specifically, the high-performance material is used in a device that can detect gamma rays and can easily identify individual radioactive isotopes.
This would give rise to more sensitive handheld detectors – but as of now, you would still need to know the close (approximate) location of one of these sites in the US.
And I suspect that Vladimir Putin has no interest in helping the US find these sites today.
If all of these disparate sources, including former KGB officers and a member of the UK special forces, are claiming these devices are in the US – you would think it would be something the government should take seriously.
Are any Americans along the US East Coast in danger?
The conventional explosives that trigger fission would degrade after ten years or so, but the fissionable material should last around 30 to 50 years before helium embrittlement degrades the pit.
And as suburban sprawl continues in the US, how soon until a developer stumbles upon these Cold War relics?
Regardless, this is an interesting bit of history that still has relevance today given the US stance on Ukraine support.
Putin may still view these caches as a viable asset if Russia and NATO ever get into a shooting war.
This might make for a good spy novel, but this is a real bit of nonfiction that’s nerve-wracking to read.
Oh, and if you’re in New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Georgia… Consider digging carefully if you’re putting in a new sprinkler system.
Glory to Ukraine.
Glory to the Heroes.
Слава Україні!
Thanks for this article. If Colombian drug lords could figure out how to smuggle in tons of cocaine and other drugs, I always felt that the best way to nuke the US was planting bombs in every major city or strategic location. Forget missiles and bomber aircraft. No brainer. I’m just surprised that this is the first time I’ve actually heard of them doing it. As you say, scary times.
I find this whole thing pretty far-fetched and paranoid. That said, once we have a way to get whatever we want from the GB archives, that is, once Putin is gone and Russia takes a different course, these are questions to raise with the new hopefully-democratic leaders of Russia.