"Dancing with the Stars' Gleb Savchenko Fights Back Against Ex-Wife Elena Samodanova Over Custody Battle"

In a shocking turn of events, Dancing with the Stars pro Gleb Savchenko is embroiled in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife Elena Samodanova over their 15-year-old daughter Olivia. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Samodanova filed an emergency petition on August 7, seeking legal help to locate both Savchenko and their daughter in Los Angeles. Samodanova claims that Olivia arrived in L.A. on May 29 but never returned home as agreed upon. The court filing includes emails showing an apparent agreement between the former couple for Olivia to fly back to China on July 9, after attending a Dancing With the Stars pro viewing event on July 8. However, Olivia has not been located since. In her petition, Samodanova stated that she currently has no direct contact with Olivia and communicates only through Instagram messages. The documents also show text messages between the estranged couple, where Samodanova expressed concern over Olivia's Hong Kong phone number being shut off, to which Savchenko replied that he had passed on her requests to their daughter but she refused to provide a new phone number. In addition to seeking help in locating their daughter, Samodanova requested the court to block Savchenko's attempts to enroll Olivia in a Los Angeles high school. The former couple also share a 9-year-old daughter named Zlata. Samodanova has reportedly filed a separate "request for return of child" petition with the Central Authority of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and correspondence shows that her case has been referred to the California District Attorney's office for processing. In July, Us Weekly reported that Savchenko filed an emergency order with a Los Angeles court to change the terms of his custody arrangement with Samodanova. His lawyers asked the court to grant him temporary sole legal and physical custody of Olivia so she could remain in California as she wished, and for permission to enroll her into a high school in Los Angeles County. Samodanova's objection was filed on August 10, but Savchenko's lawyers argue that it was served too late and contains conflicting information. They requested the court to dismiss Samodanova's request to have Olivia returned to Hong Kong due to missed deadlines and contradictory documents. This latest legal dispute erupted amidst a custody disagreement that began in July, when Savchenko accused Samodanova of violating an agreement that allowed her to move with their daughters to Hong Kong temporarily. He claimed she has remained there instead of returning to the United States as agreed upon. The former couple finalized their divorce in October 2021 after being married for 14 years and sharing two daughters. At the time, Savchenko released a statement asking for privacy during the separation. Us Weekly has reached out to representatives for both parties for comment on this ongoing legal dispute.