It was located at 49 Leningradsky Prospekt in Moscow in a purpose-built complex comprising lecture halls, film theatres, library, shops, restaurants and residences. It was also called the Institute of Social Sciences. It was a semi-clandestine institution and many of its students went by pseudonyms, primarily for security reasons, because they were members of illegal parties at the time. It was under the auspices of the International Department of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Graduates from this period, who later held prominent positions, include Alexander Dubcek, Thabo Mbeki, John Dramani Mahama, Demetris Christofias and Nadia Valavani. First-person accounts of the ILS have been written by John Mahama, Jim Riordan, Helena Sheehan and Kevin McMahon. After the dissolution of the USSR, its premises were given to the Gorbachev Foundation for a time, but were later transferred to a Financial University.