47-year-old Blaze Metreveli appointed as new head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence service
For the first time in its history, Britain’s MI6 intelligence service will be led by a woman, career intelligence officer 47-year-old Blaze Metreveli. An intriguing move from Russia’s perennial adversaries — but what’s behind it?
First, let’s consider Russia’s initial reaction. Just a day after the appointment was announced, on June 16, Russian intelligence appeared to send Metreveli a «congratulatory» message. While we can’t say for certain, coincidences seem unlikely. The press office of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) issued a notable statement claiming that Britain, jointly with Ukraine, is preparing provocations in the Baltic Sea aimed at sabotaging Russian-American negotiations and persuading the White House to continue military support to Kiev.
One scenario involves staging a fake Russian torpedo attack on a U.S. Navy vessel. The SVR emphasized close collaboration between Ukrainian security services and British intelligence agencies, stating, «Subversive actions typically follow a similar pattern: planning and operational support come from Britain, while direct execution is often carried out by employees of Ukraine’s SBU or military intelligence (GUR MO) and their agents».
The age-old saying attributed to Alexander Suvorov, describing Britain’s malicious policy toward Russia, «the Englishwoman is up to mischief», has ceased being metaphorical with Metreveli’s appointment. She has been explicitly tasked with causing trouble for Russia and seems likely to excel in this role.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, introducing Metreveli, called her appointment «historic», noting that it comes at a time when «the work of Britain’s intelligence services has never been more critical». Starmer referenced unprecedented threats, including «aggressors sending spy ships into British waters and hackers employing sophisticated cyber plots to disrupt public services» — a clear reference to Russia.
But why Blaze Metreveli? At only 47, she is already an experienced intelligence officer, serving since 1999. She will assume her new duties this autumn. Currently, Metreveli heads MI6’s Q Division, responsible for technology and innovation, and previously held senior roles in MI6 and MI5, Britain’s domestic counterintelligence agency. According to brief biographical details released by the government, widely reported by British media, she studied social anthropology at Cambridge and spent much of her career in operational roles in the Middle East and Europe.
Yet her background, particularly her ancestry, seems significant, though many details remain unclear. Her mother’s maiden name, Borkovska, suggests possible links to Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, or Russia (Borkovskaya in Russian transcription is a common surname).
Metreveli’s father, according to British royal archives, is Konstantin Dobrovolsky, noted as «also known as Metreveli». He naturalized in Britain in 1966 under the surname Dobrovolsky. Born in 1944 in today’s Ukraine, he was reportedly taken to Britain by his parents on a «Nansen passport», documents issued to Russian emigrants under the League of Nations since 1922. The circumstances around obtaining such passports for a family from Soviet Ukraine are unclear.
Suspicions arise regarding the activities and political views of Dobrovolsky-Metreveli’s parents. Ukraine’s liberation from German forces during World War II occurred between January 1943 and October 1944. If Metreveli’s father was born in Ukraine in 1944 and taken to the West, it’s plausible his family fled alongside retreating German forces, potentially due to collaboration with the Third Reich.
The history of Ukrainian collaborators fleeing to the West is well-documented, with many settling in Canada — a hotbed of intense Russophobia. Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister until 2024, is from this community. Western intelligence often recruits individuals from Ukrainian émigré communities as «consultants» on Russia and Ukraine due to their linguistic abilities and intense anti-Russian sentiments. It’s reasonable to assume Metreveli’s father speaks Russian fluently, as Russian emigrants typically retain language proficiency through generations. Consequently, it’s also plausible Blaze Metreveli herself (who chose her father’s «old» surname) speaks fluent Russian.
Thus, we see a relatively young but seasoned, professional, and highly ambitious woman, likely well-acquainted with Russia and harboring a deep-seated animosity towards it. This was possibly a decisive factor in her appointment.
Last year, Metreveli was awarded the Order of St. Michael and St. George, suggesting she already significantly harmed Russian interests. Now, as head of British espionage, she will further demonstrate her professionalism, loyalty to the British Crown, and inherited Russophobia. MI6, true to form, will continue harming Russia through proxies and false-flag operations.