# US court drops criminal case against Russian scientist Kseniia Petrova, accused of smuggling frog embryos

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/us-court-drops-criminal-case-against-russian-scientist-kseniia-petrova-accused-of-smuggling-frog-embryos/
- Published: 2026-11-05T15:39:21+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T16:55:10+00:00
- Original publisher: Meduza
- Original article: https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/11/05/us-court-drops-criminal-case-against-russian-scientist-kseniia-petrova-accused-of-smuggling-frog-embryos
- Topics: Americas, Europe, World

## Key points

- A Massachusetts judge dismissed the case against Kseniia Petrova.
- She had failed to declare frog embryos brought from France in February 2025.
- Petrova said deportation to Russia could put her at risk.

## Summary

A federal judge in Massachusetts has dismissed the criminal case against Kseniia Petrova, a Russian scientist who worked at Harvard Medical School. She had been accused of smuggling frog embryos into the United States after failing to declare them on her return from France in February 2025.

Petrova was carrying the samples at her academic adviser’s request, and the Justice Department asked the court to drop the case a day before the ruling. During the investigation, immigration authorities considered deporting her to Russia; Petrova said she could be in danger there because she had spoken publicly against the war. The article notes that some Russian citizens deported from the United States have received prison sentences after returning home.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.