Screenshot of a YouTube video in support of a fundraiser for Kseniia. Source: GoFundMe ('Stand With Kseniia: A Harvard Scientist in Need')
A Russian scientist working at Harvard Medical School has been detained in the United States and placed in immigration detention. According to multiple independent Russian media outlets and the scientist’s friends, she now faces possible deportation to Russia, where she could be subject to political persecution over her anti-war stance.
The news of her detention was shared on Facebook by her friend and colleague Cora Anderson. Friends of the scientist also launched a GoFundMe campaign, which has already raised over $14,000 to support her legal and living expenses. “Kseniia is in danger,” a person familiar with the case told the Telegram channel Mozhem Obyasnit’ (lit. “We Can Explain”).
Kseniia, a Russian bioinformatics researcher, arrived in Boston from the Republic of Georgia in the spring of 2023 to work at Harvard Medical School. She had been compelled to leave Russia due to her outspoken anti-war stance, which could have led to criminal charges back home. While her surname was not disclosed in the original posts, Mozhem Obyasnit’ was able to locate her Facebook page, suggesting her name is Kseniya (Kseniia) Petrova, a graduate of MIPT (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology). Her page includes multiple posts criticizing the Russian government and denouncing the invasion of Ukraine. Petrova's page on Linkedin listed her as an associate researcher at Harvard Medical School working in Dr. Marc Kirschner's lab in the Department of Systems Biology.
On Feb. 16, after returning from a trip to France, she was detained at Boston Logan International Airport, where her visa was revoked. When Kseniia stated that she feared persecution if she were to return to Russia, she was transferred to immigration detention, first in Vermont, then in Louisiana. She is now being held in an ICE detention facility, in a room shared with 80 other women. The exact reason for the cancellation of her visa has not been disclosed by her friends.
According to her friend Andrei Shevtsov, who spoke to the independent exiled Russian news outlet Agentstvo, the visa was revoked and Kseniia was detained after undeclared frog embryo samples were found in her luggage. He noted that the maximum penalty for this kind of customs violation is typically a $500 fine.
Despite having legal representation — and despite the fact that no formal charges have been filed against her — Kseniia remains behind bars, with her release date uncertain. Supporters are currently helping her apply for a new work visa, but the process is expected to take several months, during which she cannot work legally, according to her support group.
The U.S. has resumed deportations of Russian nationals, including asylum seekers, despite the risks of persecution they face upon return to their home country. In March 2023, The Guardian reported on the case of a Russian man deported after fleeing mobilization — the mass military conscription program ordered by Vladimir Putin in September 2022. Legal experts say U.S. courts often overlook threats such as forced conscription or political repression. Many of those detained had used the CBP One app — a U.S. government tool that allows migrants and asylum seekers to schedule legal entry at the U.S. border.