A British magazine reported that, for the first time since 2008, the United States has deployed nuclear bombs to the United Kingdom, coinciding with escalating tensions with Russia.

According to UK Defence Journal, “Based on multiple sources, several B61-12 thermonuclear bombs have been transferred to RAF Lakenheath airbase in Suffolk, after being moved from the U.S. Air Force’s nuclear weapons center at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico.”

This British base previously hosted American nuclear weapons during the Cold War until they were withdrawn in 2008 as part of efforts to reduce Europe's nuclear arsenal.

Estimates suggest this move marks a shift in NATO’s defensive policy, ostensibly to reinforce deterrence amid growing security challenges involving Russia.

Neither the U.S. Air Force nor the British government has officially commented on the news. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has previously warned that the spread of nuclear weapons in Europe “undermines continental security.”

This development comes amid intensified NATO military activity near Russia’s borders, which the alliance justifies as a response to “Russian threats,” while Moscow insists it is open to dialogue—on the condition of equality and a halt to Western escalation.