Quick Reads
Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed.
A Harvard-affiliated researcher faces federal charges for smuggling.
Kseniia Petrova was arrested while attempting to bring in frog embryos.
Petrova claims she did not intend to break the law regarding customs.
A Russian-born researcher affiliated with Harvard University, already facing possible deportation, has now been charged by US federal prosecutors with attempting to smuggle biological material – specifically frog embryos – into the country, The Independent reported.
The scientist, 30-year-old Kseniia Petrova, was arrested earlier this year and placed in a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre in Louisiana. While a decision on her deportation to Russia is still pending, she now faces a fresh federal charge of smuggling, which carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Petrova, who fled Russia after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 citing fears of political persecution, told the Associated Press that she had not intended to break the law. She said she obtained the frog embryo samples during a visit to a lab in France, and didn’t realise she needed to declare them at US Customs.
She was stopped at Boston’s Logan International Airport, where a canine unit alerted officials to her checked luggage. On inspection, US Customs and Border Protection officers reportedly found the embryos stored in a foam box. Though Petrova initially denied carrying biological materials, officials allege she later admitted to possessing them. Messages retrieved from her phone reportedly suggested an intent to bring in the samples without declaration.
The US Department of Homeland Security said she was detained after “lying to federal officers about carrying substances into the country.”
Petrova’s mentor and Harvard researcher Leon Peshkin defended her, stating the samples were not dangerous or biohazardous. “At most, this should have warranted a warning or a small fine, not jail time,” he said.
Harvard University has issued a brief statement, saying it is “monitoring the situation.”
The case has attracted attention from the global scientific community, especially given the role of international researchers in US academic institutions. “There’s a misconception that foreign scientists are privileged to be here,” Peshkin added. “In reality, they bring immense value to American science.”
Petrova fears that a return to Russia could lead to imprisonment or worse, owing to her anti-war stance and political views. Her legal case remains ongoing, with the deportation hearing held in Vermont earlier this week.