Gleb Savchenko Files Emergency Child Custody Order, Claims Ex Elena Samodanova Kept Daughters in Hong Kong without His Permission

The former couple shares two daughters: Olivia and Zlata

NEED TO KNOW Gleb Savchenko is seeking sole custody of his 15-year-old daughter, Olivia, citing concerns about her living situation in Hong Kong Savchenko claims his ex-wife, Elena Samodanova, relocated their daughters to Hong Kong for what was supposed to be a temporary move but she "refused to return" to the United States by the agreed-upon date Samodanova denies the allegations, saying Hong Kong is their permanent home and accusing Savchenko of wrongful retention Gleb Savchenko has filed a request for an emergency child custody order. According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the Dancing with the Stars professional, 42, requested temporary sole legal and physical custody of his and his ex-wife Elena Samodanova's 15-year-old daughter Olivia, and asked that Samodanova, 43, have no visitation until further court involvement.

Savchenko claimed that Samodanova, with whom he also shares daughter Zlata, 8, relocated their girls to Hong Kong for what was supposed to be a temporary move following their divorce in 2023, adding that she "refused to return" to the United States by the agreed-upon date. "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," he claimed. "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."

"This has functionally forced me to travel to Hong Kong each year to visit the children, which I have consistently done despite Elena's efforts taken to drastically limit my access to our daughters," he continued. According to the filing, the former couple has been ordered to attend a custody mediation on Wednesday, Aug 5, at 1 p.m. In the filing, Savchenko also claimed that Olivia, who is currently with him, doesn't want to live in Hong Kong.

He claimed that it is in the teen's "best interest to remain in her father 's care and to be permitted to attend school in Los Angeles County." "Olivia does not want to be in the position of having to confront her mother considering Elena's recent abusive comments to our daughter, including that she is a 'disgrace' to the family and other disparaging comments," he alleged. "Olivia has expressed unequivocally, that she does not want to return to Hong Kong nor has any desire to live with her mother."

The dad of two also shared his concern for Olivia returning to Hong Kong, claiming it may "result in international wrongful retention/abduction" of her. Representatives for Savchenko and Samodanova did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. In a statement to TMZ, Samodanova denied Savchenko's claims in the filing.

She insisted that Hong Kong is their permanent home and accused him of wrongfully keeping one of their daughters in California by canceling her flight to China. "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," she wrote in the statement.

"Today, Olivia thrives in Hong Kong. She attends a top school and is an elite ballroom dancer." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"Gleb's actions directly jeopardize her future, education, and athletic progress. California lacks jurisdiction over our daughter," she continued. "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."

She concluded her statement by alleging that Savchenko's filing was a "rushed attempt to bypass 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," she wrote. After Savchenko and Samodanova announced their split in November 2020, the dance pro wrote on Instagram that they intended "to co-parent our wonderful children together who we love so dearly, and we will strive to continue to be the best parents that we can to them."

While they share joint custody of their daughters, Savchenko revealed to The Sun in March 2024 that his girls had moved to Hong Kong with their mother. "They mean the world to me right now in my life," he told the outlet. "They're the most important thing.

And I think about them all the time." Read the original article on People