Daughter of Leonid Vilensky and Renata Schneider, Liudmyla was born on May 17, 1953 in a small town on the shores of the Caspian Sea in the former Soviet Union.
Her father Leonid was a soldier of the Russian army who fought against the Nazi occupiers during World War II. Her mother Renata was a clerk. Once her father was demobilized from the army, the family moved to Ukraine where Liudmyla grew up and studied. A graduate of the electronics career, Liudmyla worked as an engineer for a contractor of the Soviet space program.
In 1981 she met Ramón, the love of her life and after marrying she did not hesitate to accompany him to Cuba without caring about the material deficiencies she would face. When her husband was imprisoned for granting an interview to the Spanish television, Liudmyla was threatened by Cuban government agents to go back to her country leaving her husband isolated. Instead of abandoning him, she started an international campaign for his release for which reason she was harassed and beaten.
In 2000 her husband was granted political asylum in the United States, where Liudmyla lived with him in freedom for the rest of her life.
Passionate about literature, animals, and the sea, Liudmyla worked as a teacher assistant for the Spring Branch School District from 2002 to 2010 when she is forced to retire due to several back surgeries and the beginning of her long battle against the painful illness that took her life.
Liudmyla will be remembered by those who knew her closely for her strength in the face of adversity, her unwavering fidelity, and an unequaled sweetness.
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