The US Department of Justice intends to deport Ksenia Petrova to Russia

Representatives of the US Department of Justice insist on deportation from The United States to Russia scientist Ksenia Petrova, arrested earlier on charges of smuggling frogs, reports ABC News, citing statements by representatives of the American department in court.

"You are asking for her expulsion to Russia, right?", — the publication quotes the district judge's question to the state prosecutors.

"Yes, Your Honor," Prosecutor Jeffrey Hartman replied.

A spokesperson for Petrova told ABC News that she was transferred to a federal prison.

Petrova's lawyer Grigory Romanovsky noted that her quick transfer from custody to custody is suspicious, "since it happened immediately after a judge in Vermont scheduled a bail hearing for her release."

"The accusation, made three months after the alleged violation of customs regulations, is clearly aimed at exposing Ksenia as a criminal in order to justify efforts to deport her," he said.

Petrova is a Harvard researcher, she faces up to 20 years in prison.

According to the prosecution, on February 16, 2025, Petrova arrived at Boston International Airport on a flight from Paris. Prohibited items were found in her luggage, in particular, "a foam box with embryos of clawed frogs in microcentrifuges" and "embryo samples in paraffin wells and on painted slides." The scientist wanted to import them into the country as part of her research.

The US Department of Justice clarified that a special permit is required to import these items into the country, and you also need to submit a declaration to the customs and border Service at the border crossing point.

During the interrogation, as stated in the department, the scientist claimed that she was not sure whether it was necessary to declare such biological materials when entering the United States. However, messages were found in her phone from a person identified as a colleague of Petrova, who informed her about the need for a declaration of biomaterials.

Petrova's visa to the USA has been cancelled. Initially, the Immigration and Customs Police (ICE) gave her a choice: to return to France and reapply for a visa or be deported to Russia and lose the right to enter the United States for five years, The Harvard Crimson wrote.

According to the US Department of Justice, Petrov was asked if she wanted to voluntarily withdraw her application for entry and return to France. Before she was taken into custody by immigration officers, the scientist answered in the affirmative.

Petrova then told the ICE officer that she was afraid of political persecution in her homeland (in 2022 she was detained in Russia for participating in protests against the fighting on Ukraine). On May 7, an immigration court was supposed to take place, but by May 14, the scientist was still not deported, RBC reminds.