UK distances MI6 new chief from Nazi spy grandfather dubbed ‘The Butcher' – what we know so far

Mint

7 hours ago

The British government has cast a distance between the incoming Chief of its foreign intelligence service and her grandfather following reports he was a Nazi spy known as "The Butcher".
Blaise Metreweli was announced as the incoming head of UK's Secret Intelligence Service earlier this month. She will be the intelligence service – MI6's — first female "C" (Chief) in its 116-year history.
As per documents accessed by the BBC, Blaise Metreweli's paternal grandfather Constantine Dobrowolski defected from the Soviet Union's Red Army to become the Nazi's chief informant in the Chernigiv region of modern-day Ukraine.
Another report by The Daily Mail, also states that German archives showed Dobrowolski was known as "the Butcher" or "Agent No 30" by Wehrmacht commanders.
Dobrowolski even had a 50,000 ruble bounty placed on him by Soviet leaders, and was dubbed the "worst enemy of the Ukrainian people". He had also sent letters to superiors saying he "personally" took part "in the extermination of the Jews", The Daily Mail added.
Blaise Metreweli, however, neither knew nor met her paternal grandfather, a Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement, reported AFP.
'Blaise's ancestry is characterised by conflict and division and, as is the case for many with eastern European heritage, only partially understood.'
'It is precisely this complex heritage which has contributed to her commitment to prevent conflict and protect the British public from modern threats from today's hostile states, as the next chief of MI6," reads the statement issued by the Foreign Office, reported AFP.
The UK (Great Britain), a part of the Allies faced off Germany and the other Axis powers during World War II.
After coming to power in 1933, Adolf Hitler flagrantly violated the Treaty of Versailles, rearming Germany and remilitarising the Rhineland in 1936. He had aggressive and ambitious foreign policy aims.
Britain initially pursued a policy of appeasement, seeking to give Hitler some of what he wanted in order to preserve peace. When Hitler broke the agreement made at the Munich Conference, it became clear appeasement had failed, and war broke out following the invasion of Poland in September 1939.
UK policymakers—including Churchill—believed Nazi dominance threatened the European balance of power, a cornerstone of British foreign policy since the Napoleonic era.