Anatoliy Hrytsenko, the presidential candidate of Ukraine, leader of the Civil Position party, presented Ivan Aparshin as his candidate for the post of defense minister, the ex-director of the military policy and strategic planning department of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine (2005-2007).

"He is professional, capable of raising the combat effectiveness of the army and providing the soldier with everything necessary. He perfectly knows the army from the tactical to the strategic level. He occupied command and staff positions from the platoon commander, company, regimental commander to the military headquarters, the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense. He has an excellent vocational education: General Command School, Frunze Academy, National Academy of Defense of Ukraine. He is master of State Military Administration, Reserve Colonel," Hrytsenko wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

Aparshin was the Director of the Department of Military Policy and Strategic Planning of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine when Hrytsenko served as the Defense Minister, he worked as the Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Defense. In 2008-2014 he worked in the offices of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

He was No. 9 on the list of Hrytsenko's Civil Position Party in the parliamentary elections of 2014.