Gleb Savchenko Accuses Ex-Wife Elena Samodanova of Giving Daughter, 15, Weight-Loss Medication and Using Emotional Punishments
Dancing With the Stars professional Gleb Savchenko is raising serious concerns about the health and emotional well-being of his daughter as his custody battle with ex-wife Elena Samodanova continues to unfold. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Tuesday, October 13, the 43-year-old dancer has made troubling new allegations about the treatment of their 15-year-old daughter, Olivia. The filing paints a picture of a teenager caught in the middle of a difficult cross-continental custody dispute, and Savchenko is asking the court to intervene with protections for both of his daughters.
In the latest court documents, Savchenko claims that Olivia told him she has been subjected to “derogatory comments about her body, weight and appearance.” He expressed concern that such comments could have a damaging effect on a teenager’s self-esteem, especially at such a vulnerable age. But the allegations don’t stop there. According to the filing, Olivia has allegedly “been given weight-loss medication without appropriate medical oversight and without the parental consultation required by the existing orders.” That claim is particularly alarming, as it raises serious questions about how medical decisions are being made for the teenager while she is living with her mother in Hong Kong.
Savchenko also described what he believes is a harmful pattern of emotional punishment. He alleged that Olivia has been subjected to “prolonged periods of silent treatment” and that “her bedroom door was removed as a form of punishment.” These may sound like typical disciplinary tactics to some, but Savchenko argues that, combined with the other allegations, they point to an environment that is not supportive of Olivia’s mental health. He acknowledged in the filing that Olivia is currently upset with him, but he attributes that to what he calls the influence of her mother. “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,” he said.
The latest filing is not asking the court to radically change the custody arrangement. Savchenko made clear that he is not requesting a change to the children’s primary residence at this time. Instead, he is asking that any court order permitting the children to remain in Hong Kong include clear protections for their physical and emotional well-being. This is a notable legal strategy: rather than trying to immediately relocate Olivia and her younger sister, Zlata, Savchenko is asking the court to put safeguards in place that would address the behavior he finds concerning.
This is not the first time Savchenko and Samodanova have been in court. The former couple split in December 2022 after 14 years of marriage. They share two daughters: Olivia, 15, and Zlata, 8. Since their separation, the family has been divided by an ocean. Savchenko currently lives in Los Angeles, where he has spent years as a professional dancer on Dancing With the Stars. Samodanova, meanwhile, lives in Hong Kong with the girls. That geographic separation has made co-parenting difficult and has become one of the central issues in the custody battle.
Olivia had been spending time with her father in the United States, but she returned to Hong Kong in September following a court order. That return appears to have triggered some of Savchenko’s latest concerns. In his court filing, he described just how difficult it is to maintain a meaningful relationship with his children from such a distance. “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,” he claimed.
The travel logistics are daunting. Each trip between Los Angeles and Hong Kong takes approximately 13 to 15 hours of flying each way, according to Savchenko. Round-trip airfare for the children is approximately $2,550 per child per trip. For a parent who wants to be present in his children’s lives, that kind of cost and distance can be overwhelming. Savchenko argued that short, uncertain or last-minute arrangements simply do not work for a family separated by an ocean. He also placed some of the blame for the travel burden on his ex-wife’s decision to live in Hong Kong instead of California. Still, he says he is willing to pay his share of the travel costs to ensure his parenting time is not delayed by disputes over money. “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,” he said. But he added, “However, I should not bear those costs alone.”
Samodanova has not yet publicly responded to Savchenko’s latest allegations and declaration. Us Weekly reached out to both parties for additional comment, and TMZ was the first to report on the new court documents. But Samodanova has previously defended her parenting in strong terms, and her past statements are likely to shape how she responds this time.
In July, Samodanova gave a statement to Us Weekly in which she insisted that Olivia is thriving in Hong Kong. “Olivia is thriving in Hong Kong — she attends a top school and is an elite ballroom dancer,” she said. She also emphasized that Hong Kong is “Olivia’s permanent home and legal residency — ironically, Gleb himself holds a Permanent Resident card there.” That comment seemed designed to counter any suggestion that she had taken the children somewhere inappropriate or unstable. In her telling, Hong Kong was the family’s established home, and her decision to remain there was both legal and practical.
One month later, Samodanova acknowledged that the public nature of the custody fight was painful for her. “My heart is broken by the fact that our custody matter is playing out in headlines,” she told Us Weekly in an August 17 statement. She was careful not to attack Savchenko directly, instead focusing on what she described as the real issue: protecting Olivia’s well-being. “My concern is not about winning a public argument. It is about protecting my daughter’s well-being, stability, education and future,” she said. “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.”
That statement may reflect Samodanova’s broader approach to the custody fight. She has consistently tried to frame herself as the parent focused on stability and the day-to-day needs of the children. In earlier statements, Samodanova has also pointed out that she was the primary caregiver while Savchenko was working full-time on Dancing With the Stars. She has said she raised Olivia every single day and was the one handling the daily responsibilities of parenthood while Savchenko pursued his career on the dance competition show. That history is important because it sets up the central argument each parent is likely to make. Samodanova can claim that she has been the hands-on parent and therefore knows what is best for the girls. Savchenko can respond that being present is not enough if the environment is harmful.
The custody dispute involves both Olivia and Zlata, though Savchenko’s latest filing focuses primarily on Olivia. Zlata is only 8 years old, and any protections the court puts in place for Olivia would likely affect her as well. Savchenko appears to be asking the court to look at the bigger picture. While he may not be able to have his children with him in Los Angeles right now, he wants to make sure they are protected in Hong Kong if they remain there. The specific issues he has raised—weight-loss medication, body shaming, silent treatment, and the removal of a bedroom door—are the kinds of things that a court will have to consider carefully.
There are no easy answers in this case. Divorce and custody battles are always emotionally complicated, but this one is made even more difficult by the international distance involved. Olivia is a 15-year-old who is reportedly caught between two parents who live on opposite sides of the world. The allegations in Savchenko’s filing are serious, but they are just allegations for now. Samodanova will likely have a chance to respond in court and present her side of the story. Until then, the public only has one version of events, and it is impossible to know the full truth.
What is clear is that Savchenko is concerned. He says he knows Olivia is upset with him right now, but he believes the relationship can be repaired in time. He describes himself as a father who offers a “hostile-free, loving and accepting home,” and he seems determined to keep fighting for his daughters. His latest legal move is not about winning a quick victory. It is about asking the court to create a safer environment for the children while the larger custody battle continues.
The situation is still developing. Legal proceedings between parents in different countries can take months or even years to resolve, and this case shows no sign of being resolved quickly. Both parents have proven that they are willing to take their fight to court, and both have used public statements to share their perspectives. But at the center of it all are Olivia and Zlata, two young girls whose lives are being shaped by decisions being made in courtrooms thousands of miles apart. If Savchenko’s allegations are taken seriously by the court, the next ruling could include new protections for the children—protections that could change how their daily lives are managed.
For now, Savchenko waits. He is not asking the court to remove the children from their mother’s care immediately, but he is asking for accountability. He wants to know that his daughter is not being given medication without proper oversight. He wants to know that she is not being punished in ways that leave her feeling humiliated or isolated. And he wants to know that, even from Los Angeles, he can be a real presence in her life. Those are reasonable concerns for any parent. Whether the court will agree with him and what steps Samodanova will take in response remain to be seen. For a family already separated by an ocean, the stakes could not be higher.
