Judge orders release on bail of Russian Harvard scientist who was arrested for smuggling frog embryos

On Thursday, the Russian scientist Kseniia Petrova, a researcher at Harvard University, was released on bail by Judge Judith Dein in Boston after facing charges of smuggling frog embryos into the United States, according to a note from the Massachusetts District Attorney's Office.

Petrova, 31, who had been in federal custody since February, appeared in court and was seen leaving, smiling and hugging supporters after a brief hearing.

The Russian scientist was detained at Boston's Logan International Airport on her return from France earlier this year, where she had visited a laboratory specializing in splicing super-thin sections of frog embryos and obtained samples for research.

During a Customs and Border Protection check, she was questioned about the samples, and, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), messages on her phone suggested that she planned to bring the materials in without declaring them. In that same vein, the DHS claimed in X that Petrova lied to federal agents.

“The individual was lawfully detained after lying to federal officers about carrying substances into the country. A subsequent K9 inspection uncovered undeclared petri dishes, containers of unknown substances, and loose vials of embryonic frog cells, all without proper permits. Messages found on her phone revealed she planned to smuggle the materials through customs without declaring them. She knowingly broke the law and took deliberate steps to evade it.”

After questioning, her visa was canceled, and Petrova was briefly detained in Vermont, where she applied for release, according to notes The Guardian.

She was subsequently transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Louisiana, in the context of the Trump administration's immigration policy.

In May, Petrova faced smuggling charges in Massachusetts, but a federal judge in Vermont ruled that Petrova posed no danger and that the embryos were neither alive nor a threat.

Release conditions

Petrova's lawyers and the prosecution agreed on the conditions of her release, which include travel restrictions and the withholding of her passport. She must also return to court next week for a probable cause hearing on the smuggling charge. In approving the agreement, Magistrate Dein commented, “I hear it’s sunny. Goodbye.”