In August 2022, Russia temporarily suspended U.S. inspections of its nuclear weapons sites under the New START treaty. The move came during a sharp deterioration in U.S.-Russia relations after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions that followed.
The dispute was more complicated than a simple refusal to follow an arms-control agreement. Moscow argued that sanctions, visa restrictions, and air-travel barriers made it difficult for Russian inspectors to reach U.S. facilities on equal terms. Washington rejected the idea that sanctions prevented Russia from exercising its treaty rights.
What New START Inspections Were For
New START limited deployed strategic nuclear weapons and included inspections and data exchanges intended to give both countries confidence that the other side was following the rules. The archived U.S. State Department New START overview explains the treaty’s verification framework.
The Dispute Did Not End in 2022
The inspection pause became part of a much larger breakdown in arms control. Russia later suspended participation in New START in 2023, while saying it would continue observing the treaty’s central numerical limits. New START then expired in February 2026 without a replacement, making the 2022 inspection dispute an early chapter in a much longer story.
That wider deterioration also appears in our coverage of U.S.-Russia relations, Ukraine’s security choices, and the war’s impact on Crimea and travel. For a broader look at how the security environment has evolved, Catch WMW’s NATO overview provides useful context. Readers who want a deeper background on nuclear strategy can also browse books on nuclear arms control.