MOSCOW, February 16. /TASS/. Russian Permanent Representative to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov said in an interview with Germany’s WELT TV that Russia has no plans of invading the territory of Ukraine on Wednesday.

"I can assure that there will be no attack this Wednesday. No escalation [on the Ukrainian border] is projected next week, or a week later, or next month," the ambassador said. "Wars in Europe rarely begin on Wednesday."

Commenting on claims of alleged invasion into Ukraine, the Russian diplomat stressed that such reports were not backed by any evidence.

"When you are making such claims - very serious claims against Russia in particular - you must back them up with evidence. Otherwise, they are nothing but libel," he said.

At the same time, the diplomat once again called upon Western nations to take security issues, including those outlined by Moscow, seriously.

"If our partners listen to our concerns, the de-escalation process will follow quickly. It would be beneficial for all Europeans <…> and for all other nations all over the world," he said.

Concerns over Moscow’s alleged preparations for an invasion into Ukraine became more and more frequent in the West and in Kiev recently. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these statements as an empty and groundless escalation of tension, emphasizing that Russia posed no threat to anyone. At the same time, the Kremlin press secretary did not rule out possible provocations to justify such claims and warned that the attempts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict by force would carry extremely serious consequences.