Gleb Savchenko Fears For His Family Members In Russia & Ukraine
Gleb Savchenko is on the Dancing With The Stars tour with the rest of the cast right now. But that doesn’t mean he’s ignoring the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Many of the professional DWTS dancers come from Eastern Europe so this crisis really hits close to home. And a lot of them are still struggling to find the right words to say.
Gleb recently broke his silence about the war. Keep reading to see what he had to say.
Gleb Savchenko says he needed time to gather his thoughts on the conflict
Some DWTS fans felt confused when many of the pros didn’t immediately speak up about the crisis. Ukrainian-born Val Chmerkovskiy has been very vocal since day one. He even called out many of his castmates for not speaking up — especially the ones that came from Russia.
He didn’t name anyone specific, but many fans believed that Val was calling out Gleb Savchenko, Artem Chigvintsev, and a few others. But now, Gleb is indeed speaking up.
He admitted in an Instagram story that he was honestly just trying to find the words to say. His silence wasn’t out of ignorance or aloofness. The 38-year-old dancer confirmed he still has a lot of family in the area, so he’s also focused on their safety.
Gleb reflects on his heritage and its impact on his feelings
Gleb began his Instagram story by addressing fans and saying he’s had time to get his thoughts together. This definitely isn’t an easy situation for any of the dancers to navigate.
“My great grandfather and my grandfather were both born in Poltava, Ukraine. My surname is Ukrainian,” Gleb writes. He continues to detail his family history to show how deep his roots run. “My great grandfather fought for the USSR in WWII against the Nazis. My family on my father’s side still lives in Ukraine. The rest of my family lives in Russia. My Dad grew up in Russia where he met and married my mother. I grew up in Russia. My parents still live in Crimea, an area at risk as the situation evolves. My love for both lands runs deep and this situation is truly heartbreaking.”
“I have stayed silent not because I am unaware to what is happening, but because this is a very complicated and personal situation,” Gleb continues. “I do not want to dive into politics. I want to say only this, that I want peace for all those involved. For humanity, what is happening is horrible.”
The Russian dancer ended his story by saying he was dealing with the situation privately and that his heart broke for people on both sides of the conflict.
Other DWTS pros are also struggling with the conflict
Gleb isn’t the only dancer struggling to find the right words. Daniella Karagach was born in New York, but her parents are from Moldova. She speaks fluent Russian and also had a hard time speaking up about the conflict.
“When our family is directly affected by this situation, and our relatives currently being in Ukraine, the last thing on my mind was to go on social media and post about it,” Daniella wrote on social media. “Is it wrong for people to post and be vocal about it? NO! But I WILL DECIDE WHEN I POST AND SHARE my feelings on social media.”
The reigning champion shut down trolls by saying that she needed time to collect her thoughts. Like Gleb Savchenko, she wasn’t ignorant about the conflict. It seems like all the Eastern European dancers are having a really tough time these days.
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