A Russian scientist and Harvard University research associate, Kseniia Petrova, has been charged with smuggling frog embryos into the United States, following months in immigration detention. The 33 year old now faces possible deportation despite claims that her case is politically motivated and scientifically significant.
Petrova was initially detained by U.S. immigration authorities in February after arriving at Boston Logan International Airport. On Wednesday, May 14, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts announced the smuggling charge, which carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to federal prosecutors, Petrova knowingly failed to declare the biological material, frog embryos, while entering the country. They cited text messages allegedly showing she was aware of the requirement to report such items.
Her attorney, Gregory Romanovsky, denounced the charge as “meritless” and suggested the timing was suspicious. “The charge, filed three months after the alleged customs violation, is clearly intended to make Kseniia look like a criminal to justify their efforts to deport her,” he said. Romanovsky also criticized her transfer to criminal custody, which came shortly before a bail hearing scheduled for May 28.
Petrova, who has been held in a Louisiana immigration facility for three months, recently penned an op-ed in The New York Times detailing her experience. She described fleeing Russia after being arrested for protesting the war in Ukraine and arriving at Harvard Medical School in 2023, where she found “a paradise for science.”
Her research, which focuses on ageing and the molecular makeup of cells, has the potential to aid in the fight against Alzheimer’s and cancer. According to Petrova, her absence has stalled her lab’s progress. Her supervisor at Harvard, Dr. Leon Peshkin, called her “spectacular, the best I’ve ever seen in 20 years at Harvard.”
Petrova’s case also highlights the broader crackdown on international academics under U.S. immigration enforcement. She has not been accused of involvement in recent political protests but has openly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin and fears political persecution if returned to Russia.
Her op-ed concluded with a plea to continue her work: “I hope that the judge rules on Wednesday that I can be released, so I can return to my lab. There is a data set that I’m halfway finished analyzing. I want to go home and finish it.”
Petrova remains in custody as her legal team prepares for the upcoming bail hearing.
