A 31-year-old Russian woman has been charged with smuggling biological materials after the TSA found a frog embryo and other samples in her luggage at Boston’s Logan Airport. Kseniia Petrova, who is affiliated with Harvard Medical School, was taken into custody on February 16, 2025, after a law enforcement dog alerted officials to her package.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Petrova initially denied possessing any biological materials, but later acknowledged it. Prosecutors presented evidence of her text messages suggesting she understood the need for permission to bring in the clawed frog embryo discovered in her luggage. In one exchange, when asked about plans to introduce biological materials into the U.S., she reportedly replied, “There are no plans yet. I can’t swallow them.”
Petrova’s lawyer, Gregory Romanowsky, argued that customs specialists determined she did not need permission to carry non-biological science samples. Moreover, during a U.S. District Court hearing in Vermont, it was stated that customs officials had canceled her visa without just cause on the same day of her detention.
Recently, Petrova expressed her concerns in an op-ed, revealing that she returned to the U.S. after a vacation in Paris only to be detained. She fears that if deported to Russia, she could face repercussions for her vocal opposition to the conflict in Ukraine.
In her statements, Petrova mentioned that there had been delays in her lab’s work due to her detainment, specifically regarding vital imaging equipment used for analyzing data. She also pointed out the distress among her colleagues, many of whom share similar concerns about their visa status as foreign scientists.
A federal judge is set to review her case, and a bail hearing is scheduled for later this month. Romanowsky emphasized the unfounded nature of the charges against Petrova and the ongoing legal struggle she faces.
