That is not true. They can be stored in hangars. They just have to be declared.
Yes, the information you provided is **partially true**, but it requires some clarification regarding Russia's bomber protection and the New START Treaty's verification requirements.
### **New START Treaty & Bomber Visibility Requirements**
The **New START Treaty (2010)** does indeed include verification measures to ensure compliance with limits on strategic nuclear delivery systems (ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers). Specifically:
- **Heavy bombers** configured for nuclear weapons must be **based at declared facilities** that are **subject to satellite surveillance (NTM – National Technical Means)**.
- The treaty allows for **on-site inspections** to confirm that bombers are not being covertly modified or deployed in ways that violate treaty limits.
- Russia and the U.S. must provide **data exchanges** on the locations and status of their strategic forces.
However, **the treaty does not explicitly require that bombers be left "unprotected"**—it only requires that they be stationed at known bases where they can be monitored via satellite imagery or inspections.
### **Why Were Russian Bombers Potentially Vulnerable?**
Recent reports (such as the August 2022 drone attack on **Engels Air Base**) suggest that some Russian strategic bombers were **not heavily defended against low-altitude drone strikes**. Possible reasons include:
1. **Overconfidence in air defenses** (assuming long-range threats were the primary concern, not small drones).
2. **Treaty compliance**—keeping bombers in observable locations, but without expecting non-state or unconventional attacks.
3. **Resource allocation**—Russia may have prioritized other military needs over bomber base defenses.
### **Conclusion**
- **True:** The New START Treaty requires bombers to be stationed at declared, observable bases for verification.
- **Misleading/Incomplete:** The treaty does not *require* bombers to be left unprotected—Russia’s security posture is its own choice. Their vulnerability may stem from other factors (doctrine, budget, or underestimating drone threats).
Both of you are correct
@muhammed45 @Persian Gulf