[citation needed] In the same place in 2009, he defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic: "State support for insurance of agricultural risks: theory, methodology and practice.".

[5] In 2000, he began his career as a consultant on financial and economic issues of the Fund for Supporting Agrarian Reform and Rural Development of Russia.

[8] The academic degree of Doctor of Economics was awarded by the Higher Attestation Commission of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian on 17 July 2009.

[citation needed] The academic title of professor in the department of organization and management of production was awarded by order of the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science of the Russia of 17 February 2010.

He is a co-author of a number of educational and scientific publications: "Sustainable development of sugar beet production: a regional aspect" (2010), "Accounting and taxation in farms" (2013), etc.

[15] On 22 September 2015, in the Great Hall of the regional administration, a ceremony of Nikitin's inauguration as head of the Tambov Oblast took place.

[21] Later, the Dozhd TV channel published an audio recording of Nikitin's speech at the board of the prosecutor's office of the Tambov Oblast, in which he said: "Please agree that it be submitted to the court, because it is under the control of the internal policy department of the presidential administration.

[23] Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that the Department of Internal Policy was not the initiator of this criminal case.