Lernik Vardanyan was born in 1978. He was a lieutenant colonel in the village of Karin Tak, Shushi region, and was appointed commander of the Drombon parachute battalion 9 months before the war.

On the first day of the war, September 27, at 11 a.m., two platoons (2nd, 4th) and separate units of the Drombon assault battalion, totaling about 60 soldiers, led by battalion commander Lernik Vardanyan, arrived at the 165th position of Talish.

Azerbaijani units already occupied several front-line positions. Part of the battalion is established in the trenches of the 165th position. A few minutes later, the bombardment began, followed by a tank attack towards the position occupied by the battalion, the three “Urals” stationed at the foot of the position, and the “UAZs” of Lernik Vardanyan were hit.

Lernik Vardanyan’s relatives still hope that Lernik was not killed, and that he is in captivity. Lernik Vardanyan’s father, Areg Vardanyan, said in one of the interviews that he had no information about his son. They only learned that after the war, in November, the unrecognizable remains and relics of soldiers found on the battlefield were examined. The relatives were informed that there was a match between the DNA analyzes they had carried out and the remains found. However, Lernik’s relatives did not trust the results of the examination, they took him for a second examination abroad and, according to them, it did not match. On September 28, the Artsakh Defense Army published the names of the dead, including Lernik Vardanyan.