U.S. Grand Jury Indicts Russian Scientist for Allegedly Smuggling Frog Embryos

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A U.S
grand jury indicted Russian scientist and Harvard Medical School researcher Ksenia Petrova on three charges of smuggling frog embryos, false
statements and concealment of a material fact, the U.S
Justice Departmentsaid Wednesday.The indictment stems from a Feb
16 incident when customs officials stopped Petrova at Boston Logan International Airport upon her return from France with the biological
U.S
having the undeclared biological material
samples.Petrova was indicted on three counts by a federal grand jury in Boston.Smuggling carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, while the
charges of giving false statements and concealment of a material fact carry a maximum sentence of five years each.Petrova was released on
bail on June 12 and is currently on pretrial release, meaning she has to follow certain conditions while waiting for her next court date.She
has said she fears arrest or worse if deported back to Russia due to her political activism
She was reportedly arrested in Russia in 2022 for protesting the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.