Astana, 25 October. Lance Corporal Armat Abylgaliyev, a squad commander in National Guard unit 5517 who carried two children out of a burning flat in Uralsk, became the first National Guard serviceman to receive the medal named after Gaziz Baitassov, the National Guard press service said.
According to the National Guard, at about 21:00 Abylgaliyev was at home when he heard cries for help; in the stairwell he met a frightened child who said his two younger brothers were still in a flat on the fifth floor, and despite heavy smoke he went up and saved them both. Interior Minister Yerzhan Sadenov presented the award on the eve of Republic Day. Senior Sergeant Baurzhan Marinbayev, Lieutenant Colonel Bakhyt Tashkenbayev and Lance Corporal Sharapat Sagynov received the "For Military Valour" medal.
What it means: A new Interior Ministry award named after a fallen police officer went for the first time to a serviceman who saved children off duty.
Who benefits: The National Guard gets an example for its personnel. The family of the hero after whom the medal is named sees his memory preserved.
Background: The Khalyq Qakharmany Gaziz Baitassov medal was established on the President's instruction in May 2026; its first copy was handed to the hero's widow Gulzhamal Tazhiyeva. Police captain Baitassov was killed on 12 November 2011 in Taraz when he shielded people from a terrorist's grenade with his body.
