BEVERLY HILLS, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA - MARCH 05: 37th Annual GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Media Awards held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on March 5, 2026 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States. 06 Mar 2026 Pictured: Gleb Savchenko. Photo credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com [email protected]

The custody drama between Gleb Savchenko and his ex-wife is far from over!

The Russian dancer, best known for his work on “Dancing with the Stars,” was married to Elena Samodanova for 14 years. They welcomed two children before their separation made waves in 2020.

Gleb Savchenko’s ex fired the first shot by filing for divorce after their split hit the news, and she also accused the professional dancer of infidelity.

Gleb Savchenko Files Emergency Custody Request Over Alleged Child Abduction

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Savchenko took his grievances to court, filing new documents against his ex-wife that accused her of abducting their two daughters, Olivia and Zlata. The children moved to Hong Kong with Samodanova in 2023, with the dancer’s approval.

However, Savchenko explained in his emergency child custody filing that the move to Hong Kong was never meant to be permanent. He explained that he only agreed because his ex claimed it was a temporary relocation for the sake of her work in the country at the time.

But Samodanova went back on her word by choosing to build a new life, per the legal documents obtained by TMZ. The media personality alleged that his ex had “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.”

The ‘DWTS’ Alum Is Fighting For His Eldest Daughter 

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Savchenko painted his ex’s actions as an underhanded scheme to establish their children’s future in Hong Kong without him. He stressed that Samodanova placed him in an unfavorable position, noting he had been forced to travel to Hong Kong every year to see his kids.

The professional dancer added that he did so despite Samodanova’s alleged efforts to limit his access to their daughters. On that note, he implored the court to step in and grant him “temporary sole legal and sole physical custody” of his eldest daughter, 15-year-old Olivia.

Savchenko asked for no visitation from his ex-wife in his request, claiming Samodanova had done more harm than good to Olivia. He accused his ex of spouting abusive comments at the teenager, alleging she called Olivia a “disgrace” to the family among other disparaging words.

The Media Personality Paints His Ex-Wife As The Problem

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Savchenko’s complaints continued, claiming Olivia was currently staying with him and did not want to return to Hong Kong. He also feared that sending her back to Samodanova would lead to the teenager’s “wrongful retention/abduction.”

The TV personality implied that his ex-wife had little regard for their daughter’s safety, recalling she took them to Moscow and Vietnam despite his protests about the locations’ instability. His emergency custody request has since received a response from the court.

The exes have reportedly been ordered to attend mediation over their child custody issues on August 5, while a formal court hearing has been scheduled a couple of weeks after the mediation. The legal drama marks another disagreement between Savchenko and Samodanova since their very public divorce.

Inside The Former Couple’s Tumultuous Split

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The Russian dancer and his ex-wife tied the knot in 2006, welcoming their first daughter in 2010 and a second in 2017. Three years after the birth of their youngest daughter, Savchenko announced the end of his 14-year marriage, implying that they had split amicably.

The month after the announcement, Samodanova filed for divorce and accused her ex-husband of ruining their marriage with multiple infidelities. The last straw was allegedly his “inappropriate relationship” with Chrishell Stause, his then-partner on the dance show.

Swoon reported that the media personality vehemently denied the allegations, claiming he had a platonic relationship with Stause. He also noted that his marriage with Samodanova had issues long before their split and slammed her for not keeping their issues private.

Gleb Savchenko’s Clash With Ex-Wife Over Child Custody

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The drama between the exes continued during their child custody arrangement, with Savchenko asking for a 50/50 split, which the court granted in 2021. But Samodanova changed her mind that same year, with The Blast reporting that she had requested primary physical custody of her two daughters.

Samodanova argued that she deserved primary custody of the kids because of her ex-husband’s busy schedule as a dancer. She claimed his work commitments required frequent travel, which made the 50/50 arrangement impossible as he couldn’t keep to their schedule.

The arguments continued with claims that the Russian entertainer was unable to help their kids with schoolwork, get them to school, or even put them in bed on time. Samodanova also claimed their eldest daughter, Olivia, was left home alone at least once.

The Gleb Savchenko Cries Abduction Over His Kids Who Moved To Hong Kong first appeared on The Blast