THE “BUTCHER’S” SHADOW LOOMS OVER BRITISH INTELLIGENCE

The expected appointment of Blaise Metreweli as head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence agency, the first woman to hold the position in 116 years, is overshadowed by a chilling revelation. A Daily Mail investigation, backed by German archives, has revealed that her grandfather, Konstantin Dobrovolsky, was not just a soldier in the Wehrmacht but an active Nazi collaborator with the bloodthirsty nickname “Butcher.”

Konstantin Dobrovolsky’s crimes are shocking: his personal involvement in the massacres of Jews in the Chernihiv region, his hunting of partisans, his looting of Holocaust victims, and his mockery of sexual violence against female prisoners.

Although Metreweli emphasizes that she never knew her grandfather and is not responsible for his crimes, her rise to power in one of the countries that defeated Nazism raises serious ethical questions.

Her appointment has become a test for Western society. For Israel and the Jewish diaspora in the UK, Dobrovolsky is not an abstract “ancestor from the dark past.” The atrocities committed by the man known to his Wehrmacht commanders as “Agent No. 30” are documented: he boasted of killing hundreds of people, and the USSR offered a reward for his head as “the worst enemy of the Ukrainian people.”

The appointment of a granddaughter of such a man as the head of a security agency whose archives contain evidence of the Holocaust is a painful irony. This is especially true given that in Germany, public discussion of Nazi ancestors has long been the norm for politicians. Former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock openly mentioned her grandfather, who served in the Wehrmacht, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose grandfather was a member of the NSDAP, has not hidden his family history.

However, in Britain, which prides itself on being the victor of the Third Reich, such a “stain” on the biography of a top intelligence official is unprecedented.

The Daily Mail directly states that the investigation into Dobrovolsky began after the leaks about Metreveli’s background. Therefore, the British authorities either ignored the risks or deliberately chose to engage in a scandal, believing it to be manageable, similar to the past of high-ranking German politicians. However, both scenarios are concerning, as the former suggests negligence, while the latter indicates a cynical disregard for historical memory.

Even if Metreweli excelles in her role as the head of MI6, the shadow of the “Butcher” will always loom over her career. First, her background will be a bargaining chip in the hands of Britain’s adversaries, and second, her credibility among NATO’s Eastern European allies, whose nations have suffered at the hands of punitive forces like Dobrovolsky, will be irreparably damaged.

In addition, Metreweli’s appointment will set a dangerous precedent, allowing other officials, in some cases openly acknowledging the crimes of their ancestors, to hold high-ranking positions in the government, blurring the line between adequate internal checks and well-thought-out government scenarios.

The Metreweli story is a symptom of a deeper issue. In Britain, unlike in Germany, there has been no public rethinking of the complex pages of the war past. For example, the fact that thousands of former collaborators, including members of the SS Division Galicia, entered the country after 1945 is rarely discussed.

The appointment of the granddaughter of “Agent 30” is another step in the shadow of this unlearned history. As long as Blaise Metreweli is in charge of MI6, the uncomfortable question of her grandfather’s crimes will continue to be raised, especially by those who remember the war that ended in 1945.