'DWTS' Gleb Savchenko's Ex-Wife Disputes Abduction Claims
'DWTS' Gleb Savchenko Ex-Wife I Did Not Abduct Our Daughter!!!
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"Dancing with the Stars" pro Gleb Savchenko's ex-wife, Elena Samodanova, is firing back at his claim she abducted their daughters and moved them to China ... insisting Hong Kong is the girls' permanent home and accusing him of wrongfully keeping one of their daughters in California by canceling her return flight.
Elena tells TMZ ... "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. Today, Olivia thrives in Hong Kong. She attends a top school and is an elite ballroom dancer."
She continues ... "Gleb's actions directly jeopardize her future, education, and athletic progress. California lacks jurisdiction over our daughter. 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."
Elena ends by saying ... "His emergency filing is 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.”
As we reported, Gleb filed for an emergency custody order claiming Elena has kept both girls -- Olivia and Zlata -- in Hong Kong since 2023, even though he says their move was only supposed to last one year and they were due back in the U.S. by June 30, 2024.
Gleb is currently seeking temporary sole custody of 15-year-old Olivia, who is with him in California. He claims she wants to remain in Los Angeles ... and fears sending her back would result in her being wrongfully retained overseas -- the same accusation Elena is now leveling against him.
He is not specifically requesting a custody order for their youngest, 8-year-old Zlata, and is solely requesting custody of Olivia ... for now.
The exes have been ordered to attend custody mediation August 5 ... with a formal court hearing scheduled later that month.
