Anatolii Nikitin was born in 1979 in Odesa.

In 2001, he graduated from Odesa State Polytechnic University, in 2009 - Odesa State Agrarian University, in 2015 - National Academy of Internal Affairs, specializing in Automobiles and Automobile Management, Accounting and Audit, and Jurisprudence.

He began his career in November 1999 as an operative of the Interregional Tax Police Department for Operational Documentation in Odesa Region.

From November 2006 to April 2010, he held the position of operative of the sector of the State Service for Combating Economic Crime of the Kyiv District Department of the Odesa City Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Odesa Region.

From April 2010 to September 2015, he served in the linear department at Odesa-Holovna station of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine on the Odesa Railway as the Head of the Sector of the State Service for Combating Economic Crime, First Deputy Head of the Linear Department - Head of the Criminal Police, Head of the Sector of the State Service for Combating Economic Crime, Acting Head of the Linear Department.

From September to November 2015, he worked as a senior operative in the Department for Combating Bribery and Organized Crime in the Economic Sector of the Department for Combating Economic Crime of the Main Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Odesa Region.

In November 2015, he started working at Odesa State University of Internal Affairs as the Head of the Material Support Department.

From April 2017 to June 2020 - Vice-Rector, First Vice-Rector of Odesa State University of Internal Affairs.

From February 2020 to February 2022 - Deputy, First Deputy Director of the Personnel Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

In May 2022, he was appointed Vice-Rector of Odesa State University of Internal Affairs.