MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. Russia’s former children’s rights commissioner Pavel Astakhov has congratulated Anna Kuznetsova who replaces him on the post with her appointment, wishing her success in this challenging job.

"This is a very worthy person and a very wise choice of the president. I congratulate Anna Yurievna from the bottom of my heart and wish her the God’s help in this challenging field," Astakhov wrote on his Instagram page.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Friday appointing Kuznetsova as the country’s new children’s rights commissioner. Kuznetsova heads the Association of organizations for family protection and an executive committee of the All-Russia People’s Front in Penza, southeast of Moscow.

Kuznetsova, a 34-year-old mother of six, is a public figure and a human rights activist. She also heads the Pokrov regional foundation providing support for families, mothers and children in Penza and is a member of the women’s council subordinated to the governor’s office. She chairs a regional branch of the All-Russian public movement "Mothers of Russia" in Penza.

Astakhov, 50, who was dismissed earlier in the day, had faced public pressure to resign after asking a survivor of a deadly boat disaster at a summer camp in northwest Russia this June, "How was your swim?"

The former official later said his words were taken out of context. He was appointed in late December 2009, becoming the first children’s rights ombudsman in Russia.