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A cut power cable leading to Ukraine’s defunct nuclear power plant in Chernobyl prompted officials on Wednesday to warn of potential safety risks. The 2,600 square kilometer (1,000 mile) Chernobyl exclusion zone, site of the deadly 1986 meltdown, also houses a nuclear-waste facility, where spent fuel from Ukraine’s reactors is encased for safe long-term storage. Operator Energoatom said the power cut could elevate safety risks because the temperature of the spent fuel will gradually rise, potentially resulting in a release of radiation. (Tirone and Choursina, 3/9)

Chernobyl’s nuclear power plant and all the facilities in the Chernobyl exclusion zone have been completely disconnected and are now without electricity, Ukraine’s state energy company has announced. ... Ukrainian officials have warned that this could increase the likelihood of the evaporation and discharge of nuclear material, and give a dangerous dose of radioactive material to the plant’s personnel. Some nuclear energy experts, however, have cautioned that, as the spent fuel rods are now 22 years old and much colder than they were, this event is unlikely. (Turner, 3/9)

Unlike an operating nuclear plant, which can use some of the electricity it generates to power its operation, the long-defunct Chernobyl plant in Ukraine is completely dependent on outside sources of electricity. So when that power is cut, as Ukrainian officials and the International Atomic Energy Agency say it has been by Russian troops, problems can result. (Fountain, 3/9)

The chief executive of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer says his company does not have plans to invest further in Russia, as that nation's invasion of Ukraine is about to enter its third week. Still, CEO Albert Bourla told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan that Pfizer is not cutting ties with Russia entirely, and noted that while the company makes "some medicines in Russia for Russia," the company does not export from Russia. (Escobedo, 3/9)

KHN: Which Companies Aren’t Exiting Russia? Big Pharma 

Even as the war in Ukraine has prompted an exodus of international companies — from fast-food chains and oil producers to luxury retailers — from Russia, U.S. and global drug companies said they would continue manufacturing and selling their products there. Airlines, automakers, banks, and technology giants — at least 320 companies by one count — are among the businesses curtailing operations or making high-profile exits from Russia as its invasion of Ukraine intensifies. McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola announced a pause in sales this week. (Varney, 3/10)

Dr. John Kahler has seen something like what is happening in Ukraine before and is worried about what could come next. Kahler, a pediatrician who lives in Palos Park, traveled to Aleppo in 2016 in the midst of a Syrian crisis to offer humanitarian aid. There, he said he got a taste of the Russian playbook, “surround, bomb, isolate and starve,” in that country’s support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. “They’ve never shown compunction for killing civilians, for leveling a town,” Kahler said. Kahler and Dr. Zaher Sahloul, of Burr Ridge, co-founders of the Chicago Ridge-based humanitarian nongovernmental organization MedGlobal in 2017, were set to leave Wednesday for a trip with a group of 10 to Poland, Moldova and Ukraine. There, physicians, nurses and others plan to do a needs assessment and deliver 90 “well-stocked bags” full of medical and surgical supplies. (Jones, 3/9)

Jessie and Jacob Boeckmann felt relieved when they set foot in their Costa Mesa home last Tuesday. After a harrowing escape from Ukraine during last week’s Russian invasion, they’d finally made it to safety with their newborn daughter, Vivian. Their other daughter, 2-year-old Mary, greeted “Mama” and “Daddy” by jumping up and down with excitement. Grandparents who’d flown in from across the country took turns fawning over little Vivian. There was cooing, laughter and bubbly sipped in celebration. (Carcamo, 3/8)