Before even going into office, Blaise Metreweli, a new director of the Mi6, finds herself immersed in a lively controversy. In question: the past of his grandfather, Constantine Dobrowolski, presented as a Nazi spy having collaborated with the German occupation forces in Ukraine.
Documents from the German archives, unveiled by the Daily Mailbrush an overwhelming portrait of this man, nicknamed “the executioner” by the Nazis. Of Ukrainian origin, he would have defected the Red Army to become the main informant of Hitler in the Chernihiv region, under the code name “Agent n ° 30”. He would have boasted himself, in letters addressed to other members of the Nazi regime, of having participated in massacres of Jews and in the murder of Ukrainian soldiers, concluding his letters with “Heil Hitler”.
Wanted by the Soviets, who considered him “the greatest enemy of the Ukrainian people”, his head had been priced up to 50,000 rubles, the equivalent of 234,000 euros. The fate of Dobrowolski remains unknown, and his granddaughter, now aged 47, never met him.
Historical appointment
Blaise Metreweli was appointed in early June at the head of the Mi6, becoming the first woman to occupy this position since the creation of the service 116 years ago. Having grown up abroad, she studied anthropology in Cambridge before joining British secret services in 1999. She held various positions in Europe and the Middle East and currently heads the Department of Technology and Innovation.
The British Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted by stressing that Ms. Metreweli has never known her grandfather, evoking a “complex and partly unknown origin, as is often the case for people with roots in Eastern Europe”. The ministry adds: “This past feeds its motivation to face modern threats and protect the British people. »»
A boon for Russian propaganda
The case was quick to be recovered by Russian propaganda, some media close to the Kremlin saying that “British secret services are led by the granddaughter of a Nazi collaborator”.
