The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Kseniia Petrova, a Russian biologist working at Harvard, with smuggling frog embryos into the country. The U.S. is now seeking to deport her back to Russia, where she may be prosecuted for opposing the invasion of Ukraine.
An ABC News report cited a recent court hearing where a DOJ representative made clear the government’s intention to have the researcher deported from the United States:
“You are asking for her removal to Russia, correct?” U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss asked government lawyers at Wednesday’s hearing. “Yes, your Honor,» said DOJ attorney Jeffrey Hartman.
In a press release issued May 14, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts stated that the smuggling charges could result in up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Authorities claim that Petrova’s text messages suggest she was aware of the requirement to declare the embryos before entering the United States.
Petrova was detained at Boston Logan Airport after border agents found a box of clawed frog embryos in her luggage, which she brought from France at the request of her academic advisor, Leon Peshkin. During questioning, Petrova reportedly stated she was unsure whether she needed to declare biological materials when entering the U.S. She had traveled to France to visit friends and attend a concert.
Petrova detailed her story in a guest essay published in The New York Times. She explained that she left Russia after being arrested for protesting against the war in Ukraine and found “a paradise for science” at Harvard Medical School in 2023. She stressed her fear of being persecuted in Russia due to her political beliefs, as she had previously posted on Facebook in support of Vladimir Putin’s impeachment.
“After I was arrested for taking part in a protest, I fled the country, knowing that I could not continue to live or work as a scientist there,” Petrova wrote.
Despite support from several Nobel laureates and 17 U.S. senators calling for her release, authorities have refused to let her out of detention, claiming that she poses a flight risk and a security threat to the United States.
A GoFundMe campaign launched in support of Petrova has raised close to $100,000 since it was created on March 25.
Her next hearing is scheduled for May 28.