August 12th was Lyudmila's 55th birthday. Her story was closely followed by many Minsk residents, especially by her older sister Inna Borisovna, also of Minsk, and colleagues from the factory in Minsk where Lyudmila had worked as an design engineer for twenty-six years. All knew her as a person with the kindest of hearts, who never held a grudge, even last March when she was laid off, and had to move in with her sons in Moscow.



Lyudmila's oldest son Dmitriy Bogachev (bottom row, right) was one of the directors of the musical 'Nord-Ost', and is already well known as the producer of the 'Songs of our Century' project. Her middle son Kiril (second row, left) is a musician in the Russian presidential orchestra, and was a violinist at the ill-fated musical. Her youngest son Aleksei (second row, right) works in Moscow as a designer and often helps his brothers. Even 10-year-old Paulina, her oldest son's daughter, was a dancer at the show. Out of pure chance, none of her children was working or performing at the musical on the day it was taken over by Chechen terrorists. "Knowing my sister as I do, how she was such a kind and sincere person," recalls Inna Borisovna, "I think that, like the faithful mother she is, she took all the misfortune of that day upon herself." Perhaps there had already been a sign of misfortune to come: when Lyudmila left Minsk for go live with her sons, her dog Toby ran away.

When she was a schoolgirl, Lyudmila Borisovna Bogacheva performed in plays, the most famous of which was 'Little Red Riding Hood'. Little Lyuda and her classmates put on a show for the Minsk Officer's Home. Alas, the finale of that musical was a happy one, as happens in fairy tales where good always triumphs over evil. It should be no surprise that Lyudmila made sure all over her sons had a musical education. And now Minsk bids her farewell...

Vecherniy Minsk