Russian Institute for Strategic Studies

The Moscow Times called RISS the place where old spooks are sent to retire.[6] The authors were unimpressed with the organization's influence, and they explain how they think a former director, Leonid Reshetnikov, drove the institute into the ground.[6] The New York Times said that inside Russia, RISS is known as a "semiretirement refuge for former intelligence officers" and as a place where "ex-intelligence officials can work with dignity".[7]

According to Bloomberg View columnist Leonid Bershidsky, under the Reshetnikov rule the institute entered into an alliance with far rights, and Reshetnikov himself is a nationalist close to the milieu who unleashed a pro-Russian rebellion in eastern Ukraine. According to Bershidsky, Putin may agree with them on some points and he uses them informally, but they are far from the only voice Putin listens to.[8]

Three RISS deputies with degrees in sociology and historical sciences (and no degrees in medicine) co-authored a report on AIDS, in which they seemed to agree that condoms could cause HIV/AIDS by removing self-protective behavior, and that the true fight was against "drugs and debauchery". The report called statements about the epidemic of AIDS is part of the information war of the West against Russia. It was pointed out that there are two models of HIV: the Western and Moscow. It was noted that the international community asks Russia to use the first approach in the fight against disease and thus forces Russia to use an independent foreign and domestic policy.[9]

In April 2017, Reuters cited several U.S. officials as stating that the RISS had developed a strategy to sway the U.S. election to Donald Trump, and failing that to disillusion U.S. voters with in their democratic system.[3] The development of strategy was allegedly ordered by Putin and directed by former officers of Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), retired SVR general Leonid Petrovich Reshetnikov being head of the RISS at the time. The unidentified U.S. officials stated that the propaganda efforts began in March 2016. The first set of recommendations, issued in June 2016, proposed that Russia must support a candidate for U.S. president more favorable to Russia than Obama had been via a social media campaign and through Russia-backed news outlets. Until October it recommended supporting Trump, but about a month before the election, second report was written with the conclusion that Hillary Clinton was likely to win and that a new strategy should be aimed at undermining U.S. voters′ faith in the electoral system.[3] by disseminating messages claiming voter fraud in the election.[3] RISS director Mikhail Fradkov and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the allegations.[10]