He was posthumously awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Russian Federation for his role in extinguishing the fire and preventing an explosion.

[1] Aldar Tsydenzhapov was a Russian naval volunteer of Buryat-Mongolian ethnicity, born on 4 August 1991 in Aginskoe, Russia.

[2] His father Bator Tsydenzhapov is a retired law enforcement employee and his mother Biligma Tsydenzhapova is a kindergarten nurse.

A fuel pipeline burst in the engine room before the Bystry left the harbor and a fire broke out due to a spark from a short circuit.

One of five mechanics in the engine room at the time, Aldar rushed to shut off the fuel supply to the boiler, preventing a potentially disastrous explosion.