Gleb Savchenko, a professional dancer known for his role on "Dancing With the Stars," has filed for an emergency custody order in Los Angeles, seeking temporary sole custody of his eldest daughter. Savchenko accuses his ex-wife, Elena Samodanova, of abducting their two daughters, Olivia, 15, and Zlata, 8, and moving them to Hong Kong, where they have reportedly been living for the past two years.
According to court documents obtained by Page Six, Savchenko claims he and Samodanova, also a professional dancer and choreographer, had an agreement that she could take their daughters to Hong Kong for a work project. However, he alleges that Samodanova was supposed to return them after one year but instead refused, enrolling them in a local school. Savchenko also claims Samodanova has since become engaged to another man, Vlad Kvartin, and had a child with him. He further alleges that his ex-wife took their daughters to Moscow and Vietnam without his consent.
Savchenko asserts that Olivia, who is currently with him in California, wishes to remain there and attend high school. He stated in the court documents that Olivia "does not want to be prevented from being with me" and "does not want to return to Hong Kong whatsoever or under any circumstances." He further claims his daughter is afraid of her mother's "temper and anger issues" and believes that if she returns to Samodanova's care, she and her sister would be prevented from seeing or speaking with him again.
In a statement to TMZ, Samodanova denied Savchenko's accusations, asserting that Olivia is "thriving" in Hong Kong. She accused Savchenko of wrongfully retaining Olivia in California when she was scheduled to return to Hong Kong on June 5, calling his emergency filing a "rushed attempt to bypass proper laws" and a "wrongful international retention."
Savchenko and Samodanova married in July 2006. Samodanova filed for divorce in December 2020, accusing Savchenko of infidelity, which he denied. Their divorce proceedings have been contentious, with Samodanova previously requesting full custody of their daughters in March 2022, claiming Savchenko was "not available" to care for them.