MOSCOW, June 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's State Duma committee for CIS affairs approved on Thursday Mikhail Zurabov, a former health minister, as the country's ambassador to Ukraine.
Zurabov's candidacy was approved by seven votes to one.
A similar committee within the upper house of Russia's parliament, the Federation Council, approved Zurabov, 56, for the post earlier in the day.
Zurabov served as health and social development minister in 2004-2007 and later as a presidential aide. He came under fire in 2005 for reforms to state medical care and transportation benefits, which triggered nationwide protests.
Russia's previous envoy to Ukraine, 70-year-old former premier Viktor Chernomyrdin, was dismissed earlier this month after eight years in the post, where he witnessed a dramatic deterioration in relations between the former Soviet allies.
Chernomyrdin came under threat of expulsion in February over what Ukrainian authorities said were "undiplomatic" statements critical of Kiev's policies.
Ties between Russia and Ukraine have been strained in recent years, as Ukraine's pro-Western leaders have sought to join NATO and the European Union. Moscow and Kiev have also been embroiled in bitter disputes over natural gas supplies.
