Incoming MI6 chief related to Nazi spy with nickname ‘The Butcher’
The grandfather of incoming head of MI6 Blaise Metreweli was a Nazi spy known as 'The Butcher,' reports have claimed.
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Earlier this month, Blaise Metreweli was named as the new chief of MI6, becoming the first woman to take on the role in the organisation’s 116-year history.
Her grandfather Constantine Dobrowolski had previously defected from the Red Army to become a Nazi informant in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine, the Daily Mail reported.
The paper mentioned German archives showed Mr Dobrowolski went by the nickname “The Butcher” by Wehrmacht commanders and sent letters to superiors saying he “personally” took part “in the extermination of the Jews”.
Reports also said the Nazi spy chief had a 50,000 rouble bounty placed on him by Soviet leaders, and was dubbed the “worst enemy of the Ukrainian people”.
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Metreweli is believed to have never met her paternal grandfather.
Having studied Anthropology at Pembroke College, Cambridge, she then went on to join both MI5 and MI6, starting her journey at the latter in 1999 as a case officer before moving up the ranks.
She will take over as head of MI6 from Sir Richard Moore, a senior civil servant who will step down in the autumn after five years in the role.