A Harvard University research associate has been criminally charged after allegedly attempting to smuggle biological materials into the United States. The scientist, 31-year-old Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born academic, had been detained for months in a Louisiana immigration center before the charges were formally announced.
The Allegations
Federal prosecutors in Boston allege that Petrova tried to bring frog embryo samples into the country without the necessary permits. The charges were announced just hours after a federal judge in Vermont reviewed her civil lawsuit challenging her prolonged immigration detention.
Petrova, who had worked at Harvard Medical School, was arrested on February 16, 2025, upon returning from Paris. Authorities say U.S. Customs and Border Protection flagged her duffel bag at Logan International Airport in Boston and discovered undeclared biological specimens inside. Initially, Petrova reportedly denied carrying any such items before later admitting to having them.
Political Backdrop and Legal Dispute
Her lawyer, Gregory Romanovsky, insists that the charges are “meritless” and claims they are part of an effort to justify her continued detention and planned deportation to Russia. He criticized the timing of the criminal case, filed three months after the customs incident, noting it came just as a judge scheduled a bail hearing for May 28.
“The charge is clearly intended to make Kseniia look like a criminal and distract from the government’s unjust actions,” Romanovsky said.
A Fear of Returning to Russia
Petrova has publicly opposed Russia’s war in Ukraine and says she fears persecution if forced to return. Her visa was canceled following the airport incident, and she has been fighting deportation ever since.
Prosecutors Defend the Case
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley defended the decision to prosecute, stating in a video posted to X (formerly Twitter), “The rule of law does not have a carve-out for educated individuals with pedigree.”
Petrova was transferred on Wednesday to Ouachita Correctional Center in Richwood, Louisiana, where her criminal hearing is expected to begin Thursday.
