Gleb Savchenko claims ex ‘abducted’ their kids and moved to CHINA

Nearly five years after their divorce was finalized, Gleb Savchenko is taking his ex-wife Elena Samodanova back to court amid shocking allegations over child custody.

The Dancing With the Stars pro, 42, acrimoniously split from Samodanova, 43, in 2020 after 14 years of marriage and two children – with the divorce taking an ugly turn when Samodanova accused Savchenko of ‘ongoing infidelity’ – which he denied.

Now, Savchenko has alleged Samodanova ‘abducted’ their children and has been keeping them in Hong Kong for two years without his consent in a July 14 court filing obtained by The Daily Mail.   

Savchenko, who is now seeking temporary legal and sole custody of eldest daughter Olivia, 15, alleged there has been a ‘wrongful retention’ of their two children – and further claimed his ‘controlling’ ex had also taken their daughters to Russia without his permission.

Samodanova has denied his claims in a statement and claimed Savchenko wrongfully kept Olivia in the US after he allegedly ‘wrongfully canceled her ticket’ back to Hong Kong last month.

Savchenko has requested a temporary emergency order be put in place so that Olivia can live with him in Los Angeles and attend high school, while his other daughter, Zlata, eight, remains in Hong Kong with her mother.

Nearly five years after their divorce was finalized, Gleb Savchenko is taking his ex-wife Elena Samodanova back to court amid shocking allegations over child custody  – pictured 2017 

Savchenko has alleged Samodanova ‘abducted’ their children and has been keeping them in Hong Kong for two years without his consent in a July 14 court filing obtained by The Daily Mail – seen with daughters Olivia, 15, and Zlata, eight in 2020

Savchenko also claimed in the filing that Olivia ‘does not want to return to Hong Kong or to her mother’s care’ and that the teenager has ‘requested a lawyer, to advocate and prevent her from suffering further harm and abuse committed by her mother.’

In the filing, the dancer claimed Olivia’s potential return to her mother will ‘likely result in an international wrongful retention/abduction of Olivia, again, in a foreign Country, including Russia which is not a signatory to the Hague Convention.’

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is supposed to protect children from international abduction by one parent, quickly returning the child to their country of ‘habitual residence’.

DWTS star Gleb Savchenko DENIES estranged wife’s accusations of infidelity and insists his relationship with dance partner Chrishell Stause was ‘strictly platonic’

Savchenko also alleged that Samodanova has secretly taken their children to war-torn Russia ‘without notifying their father’ and claimed in the filing she had ‘recently threatened to take the children to Moscow, where they will “never see their father again.”‘

The pro dancer said there is ‘serious exigency in this case and a real risk of further child abduction and wrongful retention of our children in a foreign country by their mother, including the non-Hague Signatory Country of Russia.’

He warned the court that Samodanova ‘will remove our minor child from California and return to Hong Kong against the child’s wishes’ unless an emergency order is put in place.

The legal drama between the exes apparently went down after Savchenko allegedly found out from Olivia earlier this week that his ex-wife took their daughter Zlata to Moscow for a funeral and did not notify him.

‘I unequivocally state, I did not consent to or even know that Elena was going to Moscow yesterday and would not have agreed for our daughter, Zlata to accompany her in the war torn Country because of the obvious dangers,’ he wrote in the court documents.

‘However, as she has done in the past, Elena simply does whatever she wants as though I have no voice, opinion or say in this matter with respect to our daughters’ he claimed.

In documents he wrote, ‘I would like this Court to know that I have insтιтuted a Hague Peтιтion for the return of our other daughter, Zlata Savchenko. My understanding is that Elena has filed a Hague Peтιтioner claiming Hong Kong has jurisdiction of this matter.’

In other court documents, he alleged his ex is ‘incredibly controlling and very demanding.’

Savchenko, who is now seeking temporary legal and sole custody of eldest daughter Olivia, 15, alleged there has been a ‘wrongful retention’ of their two children – and further claimed his ‘controlling’ ex had also taken their daughters to Russia without his permission – pictured 2019 

Samodanova took the children to Hong Kong in 2023 as allowed by a one-year Relocation Agreement in 2023. 

Following this, Savchenko argued that, ‘Elena failed and refused to return the children to the United States as she had agreed in writing to do by June 30, 2024. Instead, she has remained in Hong Kong, 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.

‘Elena has essentially established her life with her fiancé and our children, in Hong Kong, without my permission that they remain with her in Hong Kong.’

Mark Karney, Savchenko’s attorney told The Daily Mail in a statement, ‘We have had to invoke the Hague Convention in order to get Zlata Savchenko, the parties’ youngest daughter returned to the United States from Hong Kong. 

‘When Mr. Savchenko came to me in pain over missing his daughters so much, I knew I had to help. This case is very important to me. It is about a dad, who simply loves his daughters and wants to be with them. 

‘We are not looking to remove the mother from the children’s lives. But the children belong in California where their father is located and has been living since the divorce and where they were supposed to be residing since 2024, after Elena’s agreed-upon one year in Hong Kong, ended. 

Savchenko also alleged that Samodanova has secretly taken their children to war-torn Russia ‘without notifying their father’ and claimed in the filming she had ‘recently threatened to take the children to Moscow, where they will “never see their father again.”‘

Samodanova has been in a relationship with ballroom pro Vlad Kvartin, 30, since 2020. In December 2025, they welcomed a baby girl, Victoria

‘The court set a hearing for the parents to appear. The child wants to remain in California. This is a father fighting for what their daughter wants because she wants to be heard in this regard. The parties must mediate per the Court.

‘I took this case because Gleb came to me distraught, missing his daughters and wanting them back in California where they were meant to be since 2024.

Samodanova hit back at the claim in a statement reading ‘The statement from Mr. Savchenko’s attorney misrepresents our family’s reality. 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.

‘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 bypᴀss 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.’

in September 2025 Samodanova told The Daily Mail that she ‘wished Gleb could support his kids more’ and be ‘more present.’

She said, ‘Our career started here in Hong Kong, our first daughter was born here. So we had a home here. And then we only moved to America because Dancing with the Stars asked him and we gave up everything and we moved to follow his dream

‘And then when basically it was over, there was nothing there left for me. And I had all my work and family and friends here in Hong Kong. So, we just moved back home.’ 

The exes have been ordered to attend custody mediation on August 5, with a formal court hearing scheduled later that month. 

In 2020 Samodanova accused the Dancing With The Stars pro of ‘ongoing infidelity’ and ‘irrevocably’ breaking her trust just hours after the pair announced their separation. He denied all her claims.

Savchenko responded to Samodanova’s claims, telling The Daily Mail: ‘While I will continue to respect the privacy of my family, I will not stand by and allow false accusations and internet rumors go unaddressed.

‘Elena and I have had longstanding issues in our marriage. This has been an ongoing situation between Elena and I paired with poor timing. It was my deepest hope to keep our private life just that: private. I am saddened and disappointed to see that Elena has chosen not to do the same.’

He had a nearly three-year relationship with Swedish blogger Elena Belle from 2021-2024 

Savchenko then notably dated his season 33 dance partner Brooks Nader, 29, in late 2024 – but their tumultuous on-off romance ended in April 2025

Samodanova has been in a relationship with ballroom pro Vlad Kvartin, 30, since 2020. In December 2025, they welcomed a baby girl, Victoria. 

Since the divorce Savchenko has had a string of glamorous exes. He had a nearly three-year relationship with Swedish blogger Elena Belle from 2021-2024.

Savchenko then notably dated his season 33 dance partner Brooks Nader, 29, in late 2024 – but their tumultuous on-off romance ended in April 2025.

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for comment.