We Captured Lele-Tepe, Did Not Hold It: An Entire Battalion Was Destroyed, We Suffered 400 to 500 Casualties

On September 30, the enemy was blocked in all directions—Mataghis, Jarakhan, Martuni, and Akna. Positions that had been seized were returned despite heavy assaults from great forces, which within a day or two of resistance speaks to the motivation and readiness of the soldiers. This was stated by Vova Vartanov, the head of the Artsakh Republic's 'Art of Survival' lobby, on 24TV.

“If during those days the Armenian side had organized an attack in three or four directions, the war would have stopped, drawing towards the Gandzak direction. There were no forces there capable of resisting us. In short, if an offensive operation had been conducted, it could have stabilized the political situation, and the Azerbaijani leader might have gone towards signing a peace agreement,” he emphasized.

The former reconnaissance officer touched upon the operation to capture Lala-Layka (Lele-Tepe). According to him, it is nonsensical to say that an operation was organized to capture that hill.

“It was a battle. During it, we had both victories and losses. Overall, it is considered a failure, as Lala-Layka ultimately remained in the hands of the enemy. It did not succeed because a developed operation was not conducted. A section of the hill was taken, but there was no continuation,” Vartanov clarified.

When asked why, he stated: “The command of the Defense Army could have halted it, or orders could have come from Yerevan. Resources might not have been sufficient to continue the operation,” he noted.

Vartanov also reported that the number of casualties during the attack on the hill was quite low. However, when the troops began to withdraw under enemy artillery fire, there were 400-500 casualties, and an entire battalion was destroyed.

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