 France, considering placing special forces in Ukraine. The French government is mulling, sending a small military force directly into Ukraine to serve as instructors for Kiev's armed forces and as a deterrent to Moscow, newspaper Le Monde reported citing its sources. The paper did not disclose the number of French military instructors that could potentially be authorized to cross into Ukrainian territory but reported that their ranks could include some conventional units. According to Le Monde, France's special forces were also involved in training Ukrainian soldiers in neighbouring Poland and in escorting the nation's arms deliveries to Kiev. They have, however, always stopped at the Ukrainian border, the outlet added. The training France would like to provide to Ukrainians on the ground includes handling air defence systems. The report said Kiev's surface-to-air weapons installations are frequently targeted by Russian forces. It explained adding that the presence of French soldiers or those of other nations would potentially protect certain areas of the Ukrainian territory. The French government allegedly views such a troop deployment as a way of posing a strategic dilemma for Moscow. The paper said adding that it could constrain Russia's targeting and strike capabilities. In particular, it may prove to be essential ahead of the arrival of US-made F-16 fighter jets scheduled to take place later this year, the French daily added. So far France has denied that any of its troops have been present in Ukraine during the conflict the media outlet said. Ukrainian General criticised President Zelensky for Zaloznyi. He stressed that Zelensky did not behave responsibly in making decisions. Reportedly agreed to be Ukraine's ambassador to the United Kingdom and will leave Ukraine within days, lawmaker Yevgeny Shevchenko said. I would like to say that according to my sources Zelensky has agreed to be the ambassador to Great Britain. He is highly likely to go there and we know that those who leave the country as ambassadors are political retirees. None of them has ever returned to their former positions. This is Ukraine's tradition. I hate to disappoint any Zaloznyi fans. He said in an interview with Vadim Karasev, director of Ukraine's Institute of Global Strategies. According to the lawmaker, if Zaloznyi opts to stay in Ukraine, he has every opportunity to achieve great things in politics after resigning. If he opts to be ambassador, he is not a politician any longer. 100% if he stays in Ukraine and begins to build a political career, he has good prospects. Shevchenko said adding that Zaloznyi's resignation could be expected on February 8th or somewhere around there. Ukraine's media and social networks continue speculating about Zaloznyi's future. Some say that his resignation stems from the failure of Ukraine's counteroffensive in the summer of 2023 and Zaloznyi's political ambitions. A number of foreign media outlets confirmed reports about Zaloznyi's dismissal citing their own sources. Russian patrol boat engulfed in flames in Sea of Azov losses reported. In the waters of the Sea of Azov, there was a fire on one of the Russian boats of the Coast Guard of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. Losses among the occupants are known, reports the Defense Intelligence, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on Telegram. According to intelligence, the fire engulfed the engine room of the vessel after which the crew urgently requested an evacuation group. This is evidenced by intercepted conversations among the occupants. The enemy suffered losses totaling five occupants emphasizes the Defense Intelligence. It has added that the causes of the fire and the nature of the enemy's losses are still being clarified. This is not the first fire on a Russian vessel. It was recently reported that the icebreaker Yermak was on fire in the port of St. Petersburg. The Russian Emergency's Ministry released video footage showing firefighters attempting to extinguish the fire at the scene. There was no information about the casualties in the incident. According to information from the Russian Agency, the icebreaker where the fire started is moored at the big port of St. Petersburg. The Emergency's Ministry clarified that the vessel is no longer operating and is slated for disposal. The fire started on the first and second decks. There are reportedly no casualties. However, online sources specify that the fire occurred against the backdrop of welding works. According to the video released by the Emergency's Ministry, firefighters have arrived at the scene. They are trying to prevent the spread of fire. Recall that Ukrainian defenders have already destroyed many Russian ships in the Black Sea using attack drones. The latest successful operation was on February 14. At that time, the large landing ship of the enemy, Cezar Kunikov, went to the bottom.