LONDON — Britain’s first female MI6 chief, Blaise Metreweli, has publicly distanced herself from her grandfather, Constantine Dobrowolski, who is documented as a Nazi collaborator responsible for mass killings of Jews during World War II, according to recently unearthed German archives and verified by AFP.
Dobrowolski, born in 1906 in Ukraine, defected from the Soviet Red Army to the Nazis in 1941, later organizing a local police unit in Chernihiv. Historians document that he actively participated in the rounding up and execution of hundreds of Jews, signing off Nazi correspondence with “Heil Hitler” and earning the grim nickname “The Butcher.”
Metreweli ascends to lead the Secret Intelligence Service on October 1, a role formally announced by the Foreign Office on June 15. She will succeed Sir Richard Moore, marking a historic first in the agency’s 116‑year history.
Facing public scrutiny following a Daily Mail exposé of archival material, the Foreign Office underscored that Metreweli has no personal connection to her grandfather. “She neither knew nor met her paternal grandfather,” the Government said, describing her ancestry as “characterised by conflict and division and … only partially understood.” The statement added that her complex heritage contributes to her commitment to preventing modern threats.
Professor Beka Kobakhidze of Ilia State University in Georgia, who helped trace the family tree, warned the disclosure offers “ammunition” to Russian propagandists, noting that “children should not be held responsible for the sins of their fathers.”
Metreweli, a Cambridge graduate fluent in Arabic, has served in MI6 since 1999. She held assignments across Europe and the Middle East and currently leads the agency’s technology and innovation division. Tipped for the top position for months, she is set to officially succeed Moore this autumn.
This article is based on verified information from AFP, The Times of Israel, The Jewish Chronicle, The Independent, and official statements from the UK Foreign Office.