The Claim:
Russian state media platform RT has operationalized a claim that the long deceased grandfather of newly appointed MI6 chief, Blaise Metreweli, was a Nazi collaborator during WWII in efforts to create a false equivalency and erode the credibility and public confidence in MI6 and Metreweli.
The Facts:
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The UK’s Daily Mail reports to have found hundreds of pages of documents in an archive in Germany, which contained evidence that Metreweli’s grandfather, Constantine Dobrowolski, collaborated with Nazi Germany and was known as “The Butcher” or “Agent No 30” by Wehrmacht commanders. He purportedly signed “Heil Hitler” letters and claimed responsibility for mass killings of Jews and Ukrainian partisans. A Soviet bounty was placed on him.
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Metreweli’s father, born Dobrowolski in 1943 in occupied Ukraine, was raised by his stepfather in England, adopted the surname Metreweli. He had no affiliation with or knowledge of his biological father’s Nazi past.
- Ms Metreweli “neither knew nor met her paternal grandfather”.
Narrative Context:
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The RT article blends historical truth (Metreweli’s grandfather’s actions) with omission of essential context—specifically that Metreweli never met or knew her grandfather, and that her father was raised by a stepfather in England.
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This campaign echoes previous Russian disinformation strategies—used against Chrystia Freeland—where factual ancestry is weaponized to cast doubt on unrelated individuals.
- It should be noted that any claims based on Russian or Soviet era sources, or archives should be always be questioned as the Kremlin is widely recognized to fabricate evidence and manipulate facts to advance its own interests and attack its enemies.
