Vladimir Putin reported on the disagreements in the Russian Defense Ministry over "Oreshnik"

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 22 that there were disagreements in the Defense Ministry about the production and launch of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile, but he joined those who were ready to build it.

"There were different points of view in the Ministry of Defense about this. In the end I joined those who believed that it a) should be produced - and gave a direct order to do so, to allocate the necessary resources - and b) agreed with those who believed that it was time to test it in combat conditions," the head of state said in an interview with VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin.

He specified that he was deeply immersed in the process of developing the Oreshnik. Putin also called the creation of this missile a "historic event."

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Earlier, on December 19, during the "Results of the Year" Putin said that the enemy has no chance to shoot down Oreshnik missiles. In response to such assertions by some Western experts, he proposed a technological experiment - a "high-tech duel of the 21st century," in which air defense and missile defense forces would concentrate on one site, and the Russian military would strike there with the Oreshnik.

Putin announced the combat test of the Oreshnik ballistic missile, one of Russia's newest medium-range missile systems, on Nov. 21. The step was taken in response to the escalation by Western countries in Ukraine. The head of state then clarified that Russia would continue testing and that a decision on the serial production of the missiles had already been made.