Based on My Calculations, I Hit 200-300 People in an Hour: Lieutenant Colonel Ready to Take Back His Village

Lieutenant Colonel Sahak Avsharyan, commander of the 2nd Battalion of Khojalu, has been at the hottest points of the war since the very first day. In an interview with NEWS.am, Avsharyan shared that he is originally from the village of Shekher in the Martuni region, which came under Azerbaijani control during this war.

“During the war, I was the commander of the same battalion. I started from the village of Shekher, then moved in various directions. We reached the Red Market where the enemy hit us, and we managed to shoot down 3 tanks at the site. We relocated back near our assembly area, and after 2 days, we went to the village of Shosh, and from there, on November 1, we advanced towards Chanakhchi and Sghnakh, participating in the main operations there. On November 8, based on my calculations, I hit 200-300 people in just one hour, firing about 80 shots from the tank,” the lieutenant colonel recounted.

He also mentioned that on the morning of November 9, the enemy attempted to target them. “On the evening of the 9th, we advanced in another direction, and they started firing from other weapons. I quickly lowered the tank for cover, and we moved down in another direction. When we wanted to return to the tank for repairs, they began to strike our direction with cluster bombs. During the three ceasefires, they fired at full capacity several hours before the agreements, and it happened the same on November 9 — they filled the village of Shosh with everything they had as we were there. We did not believe in the ceasefire because previous ones were not respected. We were not happy; we wanted to be victorious and felt sad,” he said.

When asked if his battalion was prepared, Avsharyan replied that about a month and a half before the war, he participated in a large military exercise in Tigranakert, realizing that the army was prepared. “I believe we could have and would have won this war. I think the enemy had many UAVs and precision weapons, and if at least they had not had UAVs, we would have won,” he said.

Avsharyan reported that 4 sniper operators from his battalion were killed. “I was ‘at the head’ of my battalion, thanks to which we had few casualties. At this moment, I continue my service; wherever there is difficulty, I am ready. This is my homeland, my land, and perhaps we can still take back my village,” he stated.