One of the pros on Dancing With the Stars is claiming that his ex-wife has abducted their two children.
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TMZ reports that Gleb Savchenko has filed a request for an emergency child custody order. He asserts that his ex, Elena Samodanova, with whom he shares two daughters, Olivia and Zlata, has kept them in Hong Kong since 2023.
The Move Was Supposed To Be Temporary
The filing states that Samodanova's move to China was supposed to be temporary. The children were scheduled to return to the United States by June 30, 2024.
According to the order Savchenko filed, Samodanova signed a Post Judgment Agreement in 2023. It allowed her to move their children out of the country for a year while she worked on a project in Hong Kong.
Savchenko now believes Samodanova is attempting to establish herself and their children in China. He claims she has "obtained permanent Hong Kong residency, enrolled the children in an expensive private school, got the children a cat, became engaged, and had another child with her fiancé."
He adds, "This has functionally forced me to travel to Hong Kong each year to visit my children, which I have consistently done despite Elena's efforts taken to drastically limit my access to our daughters."
Savchenko wants to be granted "temporary sole legal and sole physical custody" of Olivia. He claims that the 15-year-old does not want to live with her mother.
The Dancing With the Stars pro also alleges that Samodanova has taken the girls to Moscow and Vietnam against his wishes. He believes that returning Olivia to her mother could "result in an international wrongful retention/abduction."
The documents show that Savchenko is not requesting custody of Zlata at this time. The two parents have been ordered to attend mediation over custody on August 5. A scheduled formal court hearing will take place several weeks afterward.
Samodanova Replies To "Dancing With the Stars" Pro's Allegations
TMZ shared in a separate report a statement by Samodanova that refutes Savchenko's allegations.
"The statement from Mr. Savchenko's attorney misrepresents our family's reality," she said. "As Olivia's primary caregiver, I have raised her every day while Gleb worked full-time on DWTS. Today, Olivia thrives in Hong Kong. She attends a top school and is an elite ballroom dancer."
Samodanova continued, "Gleb's actions directly jeopardize her future, education, and athletic progress. California lacks jurisdiction over our daughter. Hong Kong is Olivia's permanent home and legal residency. Ironically, Gleb himself holds a Permanent Resident card there. Olivia was scheduled to return to Hong Kong on June 5th, but her father wrongfully canceled her ticket without my permission. This is a wrongful international retention.
"His emergency filing is a rushed attempt to bypass proper laws. I am asking the court to halt temporary orders and grant a continuance so my counsel can present Olivia's permanent records through the correct legal channels."
