Gleb Savchenko Brings Receipts in Child Custody Fight

Dancer Gleb Savchenko, best known for his role on “Dancing with the Stars,” says he has hard proof in his ongoing custody battle with his ex-wife Elena Samodanova over their daughters. The case involves an emergency hearing where he is seeking sole custody of their eldest daughter, Olivia.

Savchenko claims he has screenshots showing that Elena traveled to Moscow with their younger daughter, Zlata, without his consent. One image allegedly shows Elena’s phone location pinging in Moscow, while another captures a WhatsApp conversation with his law firm in which she reportedly says she arrived in Russia for a family funeral. According to Savchenko, the messages also confirm that Zlata was with her.

In his declaration, Gleb emphasizes that he never agreed to the trip and didn’t even know about it. He says he would have objected to Zlata traveling to what he calls a war-torn country. He also accuses his ex-wife of repeatedly making major decisions about their daughters without consulting him.

As previously reported, Savchenko filed for emergency custody, claiming Elena has kept their daughters in Hong Kong since 2023. He has also filed a Hague Convention petition, an international legal request seeking Zlata’s return, while Elena argues that Hong Kong has jurisdiction over the custody dispute.

The dancer is asking the court to grant him “temporary sole legal and sole physical custody” of 15-year-old Olivia, with no visitation for Elena, pending a scheduled hearing. He also alleges that Elena canceled Olivia’s return flight to California, effectively keeping her there.

Elena, in turn, told the media that Hong Kong is Olivia’s legal home and accused Gleb of wrongfully keeping her in California. She called his emergency filing “a rushed attempt to bypass proper laws” and asked the court to halt temporary orders so her lawyers could present Olivia’s permanent records through proper legal channels.

The court has ordered mediation on August 5, with a formal hearing scheduled a few weeks later. This conflict has drawn public attention, as Gleb Savchenko is a well-known personality, and his family drama is unfolding in the spotlight. Both sides appear determined to fight for their interests, and the outcome remains uncertain.