Gregory Freeze, an American historian and expert on Russian history and the history of the Russian Church, tells in an interview about his academic biography and the roots of his interest in the history of the Russian religious history. He recalls Soviet-American scientific relations in the 1970s and 1980s and the communication difficulties of that period. Freeze also speaks about the current state of Russian studies and the history of religion in the United States. Turning to the results of his research, Freeze reveals the complex dynamics of the relationship between secular and ecclesiastical authorities, and compares the Russian society and the people’s religiosity in the imperial period with current developments. Freeze puts the current religious situation in Russia in the context of global trends in the religious sphere and notes the gap between the personal faith and belonging to religious institutions. In conclusion, he stresses the need to study religion as an integral part of world civilization.