In the conditions of growing competition between the countries the struggle has moved into a brand and image space. International ratings show that Russia has rather low positions. This fact suggests that the problem of formation of image of Russia is of great importance in the context of information pressure from a number of leading countries of the world. The article is devoted to the mechanisms of formation and promotion of the brand image of Russia. The author gives several proposals on developing the strategy of formation and promotion of brand image of Russia and recommends creating the Institute of image policy, which may include representatives of state, business elite and public institutions.