Shashkini was born on August 8, 1975, in Tbilisi, Georgia, to a family of Russian background stemming from Ukraine.

He also briefly served as a Lieutenant at the Akhaltsikhe Military Base of the Georgian Armed Forces until 1996.

Between 1998-2008, Shashkini also provided private consulting and management services to various candidates during election campaigns.

[2] On February 2, 2009, Shashkini was appointed as the head of the newly established Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistance of Georgia.

[6] On October 25, 2012, following the parliamentary election which saw the defeat of the ruling United National Movement party, Shashkini was succeeded by Irakli Alasania as the Minister of Defense.