The investigation into Ukraine’s key contact for the Trump camp is intensifying. This is another chapter in the long history of graft. The man tasked with managing the relationship is now facing the consequences of his own maneuvers.

The probe focuses on corruption. It is the same old story of power and greed. The connection to the Trump campaign adds a layer of political instability. The gears of the state are grinding against their own people.

The political theater continues. The outcome is irrelevant. The focus remains on who can hold onto the money and the influence for the longest.

These are the depressing features.

• The collision of wartime survival and personal enrichment.
• The vulnerability of diplomatic channels to criminal scrutiny.
• The certain decay of institutional trust.