This undated photo provided by Polina Pugacheva in April 2025 shows Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born scientist who was a researcher at Harvard University. (Polina Pugacheva via AP, File)
The judge determined on Wednesday that Petrova is not a flight risk and does not pose any danger to the community. Her criminal bail hearing is set to take place next week in Massachusetts.
The judge also noted that Petrova's work at Harvard has benefited the U.S., as her team is focused on cancer research.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that Petrova allegedly denied having the biological material at first but later admitted to carrying it.
Prosecutors also claim that Petrova’s text messages show that she was aware that she needed a permit to bring in the clawed frog embryos and embryonic samples that were allegedly found in her luggage. In one text message exchange cited by the office, Petrova was asked whether she had a plan to get the biological material into the U.S., and she allegedly responded by saying, "No plan yet. I won’t be able to swallow them."
Kseniia Petrova, a bioinformatician at the Kirschner Lab, was bringing back frog embryos at the request of a professor at a French lab Harvard is collaborating with. (Facebook)
While she admitted in the op-ed to not filling out a customs form regarding the frog embryos in her luggage, she believed it would result in a fine or warning, not an arrest.
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"At Logan International Airport, I did not complete a customs declaration for frog embryos (for use in our lab’s research) in my luggage. I’m told this would normally result in a warning or a fine. Instead, my visa was revoked, and I was sent to a detention center in Louisiana," Petrova wrote.
Fox News' Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-takes-step-toward-possible-release-detained-russian-harvard-scientist-accused-smuggling