Totmianina/Marinin made consistent progress on the world scene through the late 1990s. In 1998, the pair asked Tamara Moskvina to coach them but she was unable to take on more students and suggested 1984 Olympic pairs champion Oleg Vasiliev. He declined due to lack of ice and connections but he accepted in 2001 when Moskvina again directed them to him. Totmianina/Marinin left Pavlova just prior to the 2001 European Championships and moved to Chicago in the United States to train under Vasiliev. They trained at the Oakton Ice Arena in Park Ridge, Illinois.