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His replacement, Mikhail Bogdanov, 44, is a career diplomat who has served with the Russian Embassies in Syria and Lebanon.

In an interview prior to his departure from the post, Bovin criticized Israeli officials for what he described as their exaggerations about the threat to Israel of Russian organized crime.

"All this talk, this clamor about the `Russian Mafia' is necessary for those who are afraid of competing with Russian business," Bovin told a Moscow daily newspaper.

His comments came after Israeli police officials announced earlier this month that their international crime-fighting division would be increased fivefold to combat Russian organized crime in the Jewish state.