Dancing With the Stars pro Gleb Savchenko is sharing concerns for his children’s well-being as his custody battle with ex-wife Elena Samodanova continues.
According to court documents obtained by Us on Tuesday, October 13, Savchenko, 43, claims his 15-year-old daughter, Olivia, told him that she has been “subjected to derogatory comments about her body, weight and appearance.”
In addition to remarks he fears could fuel insecurity issues, Olivia has allegedly “been given weight-loss medication without appropriate medical oversight and without the parental consultation required by the existing orders.”
“She has been subjected to prolonged periods of silent treatment and her bedroom door was removed as a form of punishment,” Savchenko alleged. “Even though Olivia is currently upset with me (for reasons her mother has influenced her to believe), I know within time she will be back to herself, wanting to see and stay with me because I provided Olivia with a hostile-free, loving and accepting home for her.”
Savchenko said he is not asking the court at this time to change the children’s primary residence. Instead, he is asking that any order permitting the children to remain in Hong Kong include clear protections for the children’s physical and emotional well-being.
Samodanova, 43, has not yet responded to Savchenko’s latest allegations and declaration. (Us has reached out to both parties for additional comment. TMZ was first to report about the new court docs.)
The exes — who split in December 2022 after 14 years of marriage — have been in a custody battle involving their daughters Olivia and Zlata, 8. While Savchenko lives in Los Angeles, Samodanova resides in Hong Kong.
Although Olivia was spending time with her dad in the United States, she returned to Hong Kong in September following a court order.
“My relationship with the children depends almost entirely on long, predictable blocks of time during school holidays and on reliable telephone and video contact in between,” Savchenko claimed in court documents. “Each trip between Los Angeles and Hong Kong takes approximately 13 to 15 hours of flying each way, and round-trip airfare for the children is approximately $2,550 per child per trip. Short, uncertain or last-minute arrangements do not work for a family separated by an ocean.”
He mentioned that international travel costs are a result of his ex-wife’s choice to live in Hong Kong instead of California, noting, “I am willing to advance the children’s reasonable airfare and required travel expenses for my parenting periods so that my time with them is never delayed by disputes over payment.”
The professional dancer added, “However, I should not bear those costs alone.”
Samodanova has previously defended her parenting and claimed to raise Olivia every single day as her primary caregiver when Savchenko was working full-time on Dancing With the Stars.
“Olivia is thriving in Hong Kong — she attends a top school and is an elite ballroom dancer,” Samodanova said in a statement to Us in July. “Hong Kong is Olivia’s permanent home and legal residency — ironically, Gleb himself holds a Permanent Resident card there.”
One month later, Samodanova said her heart was “broken” by the custody battle making headlines.
“My concern is not about winning a public argument. It is about protecting my daughter’s well-being, stability, education and future,” she told Us in an August 17 statement. “Olivia loves both of her parents deeply, and her father is an important part of her life. I respect that relationship and always will. But loving both parents should never require a child to be placed in the middle of a legal or public battle. As her parents, we have a responsibility to put her future ahead of our disagreements.”
