Federal judge drops charges against Harvard scientist accused of smuggling frog embryos

On November 4, 2026, federal prosecutors moved to drop all criminal charges against Kseniia Petrova, a Russian-born scientist at Harvard University who had been accused of smuggling frog embryos into the United States since February 2025. The case was dismissed after a federal judge in Boston granted her access to evidence supporting her claims that she was being vindictively prosecuted by the Trump administration, which she argued targeted researchers and universities like Harvard as part of a broader political campaign. Petrova had been conducting cancer research at Harvard Medical School when customs officials detained her upon her return from France with undeclared frog embryo samples for research purposes. Prosecutors acknowledged that while they viewed her claims as "meritless," continuing the prosecution would divert significant time and resources from more substantial federal interests, leading to the dismissal of charges including smuggling goods into the United States, concealment of a material fact, and making false statements.