Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Wednesday (December 26) that Russia would deploy its first regiment of hypersonic nuclear-capable missiles next year, asserting that  the move meant his country now had a new type of strategic bludgeon.

President Putin was speaking after overseeing what the Kremlin stated was a pre-deployment test of the new missile system, called Avangard.

Russia has stated the new missile system, one of several new weapons Putin announced in March, is highly maneuverable, allowing it to with no trouble equivocate missile defense systems.

Putin tenuously observed Wednesday's test from a Russian defence ministry building in the capital city Moscow. The Kremlin described the test in a statement, describing that an Avangard missile, launched from a location in south-west Russia, had successfully hit and shattered a target in the Russian Far East.

Putin announced an array of new armaments in March, including the Avangard, in one of his most aggressive speeches in years, proclaiming they could hit almost any point in the world and dodge a U.S.-built missile shield.