Gleb Savchenko’s Explosive Custody Claims End In Stunning Court Blow

Gleb Savchenko Custody Claims Explode Into A Sudden Court Setback. In the past, Gleb Savchenko and Elena Samodanova had managed to appear as the couple who had long left the bitterness of their breakup behind them.

In fact, the separation which had initially been quite traumatic for the two of them had eventually faded into mere unpleasant memories, and now both of them were seemingly enjoying separate lives far from the drama of a split.

A custody struggle spanning different countries has, however, recently brought to light that their disagreement was much more profound, going far beyond the usual parent-child separation issues, with both sides making accusations of parental manipulation and emotional harm, plus the legal battle as to where their teenage daughter actually lived.

This whole drama began when Savchenko tried very hard to have his 15-year-old daughter Olivia be raised by him in Los Angeles, but ultimately the judge decided against his request, which has left the former couple’s battle over the custody of the child in a totally new stage.

Gleb Savchenko’s Emergency Custody Request Was Anchored On Strong Allegations

Gleb Savchenko filed an emergency custody order that was based mainly on the dancer’s claim that he was worried about Olivia’s safety if she remains with his ex-wife in Hong Kong.

While the dancer’s plea against allowing his daughter’s return from Los Angeles was made, he maintained that returning the girl to their mother would be a big risk of physical and psychological harm for her.

In a text provided to the Daily Mail, Savchenko claimed that Samodanova was the one pressuring his daughter Olivia into taking weight-loss pills in order to stay slim for their dance performances.

He said that the girl was constantly exposed to harsh remarks on her figure, which included being called “fat” and even a “disgrace” of the family.

Moreover, aside from the above facts, the father of 43 said to the paper that his little girl had to work and entertain nonstop that she just collapsed with exhaustion even in a sick state.

He mentioned further that she was having very intense psychological problems – so bad that she had to start with alcohol and drugs to deal with it.

Add all this, and he says these are the reasons that Olivia returning to HK could be considered as “potential risks.”

The Version of Events According to Savchenko And Samodanova Diverges Greatly

Samodanova did not remain a non-comment on the accusations. Rather, she accused Gleb Savchenko of being the parent involved in “wrongful detention”.

In a petition filed under the Hague Convention, Mrs. Samodanova stated that on 9th July, Olivia traveled to Los Angeles to see her father but didn’t come back to Hong Kong. Her home city was her permanent residence.

The court records show that Samodanova further claimed that without the knowledge or consent of the mother, he had even tried to get Olivia a spot in a school located in L.A.

Later on, she admitted that Daily Mail she told Daily Mail: “His allegations are simply empty words with no real evidence behind them.”

She told Daily Mail that ‘His claims are ‘mere words, unsupported by concrete facts or proofs;’ ‘His accusations are basically ‘just words without backing up by solid evidence’ (a Russian proverb, ‘nachinat‘ zatratyè ’ “Empty words have no weight;” or, ‘zatratyè ’ “Words that have not taken root are useless;”).

Mrs. Samodanova’s legal documents also contained a transcript of text messages which she alleged were direct from Olivia. It is in those texts that the adolescent, according to Samodanova’s story, allegedly declared to her that a father is an influence on a child against the mother.

Samodanova wrote in her declaration: ‘He said to her, “You would be betraying and supporting her mother while her father would be the one who takes care of you by feeding you and giving you money.”‘

She also said that, according to her, it was Savchenko who was telling Olivia, “You can go wherever you want and you, of course, will not be spending any of his money, including the cost of a flight. ‍‌”

Gleb Savchenko Suffers A Major Setback As Court Sends Olivia Back To Hong Kong

The conflict was growing fiercer and eventually came to an end in a September 15 court hearing in Los Angeles.

To support her daughter in court personally, Samodanova, living in Hong Kong, traveled to the U. S. There, she got a chance to face her ex-husband in her home court.

One of the pieces of evidence that her lawyers gave was a selfie that Samodanova Olivia’s mother took with her, showing herself sobbing.

In the note she left with that photo, Olivia wrote “Papa said I can go home anytime, but he isn’t spending any money on me at all, not even on the flight.”

Savchenko, with his dramatic accusation, did not get the court too upset. However, one main issue, typical of international child custody matters, i.e., the child’s habitual residence, turned the court’s attention towards it entirely.

According to the court transcripts, the court found Olivia’s habitual residence was the city in Guangdong.

Owning up to the decision made by the court on that subject, which sent Olivia back to Hong Kong, was an overwhelming setback; Gleb Savchenko was left out. The judge ordered the ex-couple to take part in the mediation arranged by the Family Court Services.

After the hearing came to an end, Olivia came back to Hong Kong with her mother. This means one step of the international struggle is over, but perhaps there are more steps to follow in the future.

Samodanova Accuses Gleb Savchenko Of Missing Payment Of Child Support Over A Period Of 10 Months

Samodanova and Savchenko had been fighting for the custody of their daughter, and they had already blamed each other for not being good enough parents. Now an issue has also been revealed on the side that has been causing tension between them.

People were able to get hold of court documents where Samodanova says her ex-partner did not pay child support for ten months before the matter was finally sorted out.

In this filing, she stated she had to get “help” from the right authority that handles child-support payments, so payments could again be made.

In the same document, Samodanova has denied Savchenko’s accusation of taking the children away without his permission, stating the relocation was a joint decision after they were separated.

She argued that Hong Kong was still the primary residence of the children for legal purposes and their home. Samodanova, on the other hand, disputed Savchenenko’s wider argument related to custody.

Samodanova even went as far as accusing him of preventing Olivia from going back to Hong Kong wrongly by not refunding her cancelled return ticket according to the ‍‌lawsuit.

She Revisits Infidelity Claims That Divorced Their Marriage

Even before the latest childcare battle reached the courtroom stage, the collapse of Savchenko-Samodanova’s marriage had already come to light.

Samodanova, after confirming their separation in 2020, accused Savchenko of repeated infidelities and openly discussed how these issues had affected them as a family.

“Gleb’s continuous infidelities and a new inappropriate relationship have been the cause of great marital disturbance and have torn our family absolutely apart,” she told PEOPLE in that very period.

Samodanova was equally upset about what happened during the time leading up to their divorce. Besides that, she said, “A woman has no duty towards that and certainly never has to remain still while a different lady is showering her husband with gifts, is inviting him out for dinners and seducing him in various ‍‌places.”