This article looks at the ways in which the Russian Orthodox Church has approached the international human rights regime from the moment of its foundation — the 1948 “Declaration of Human Rights” — until the adoption of the “Teaching on Human Dignity, Freedom and Rights” by the Bishops Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2008. It is argued that within this period, the attitude of the Church has changed from outright rejection to critical acceptance. The article analyzes the political background for this shift and sheds light on ambivalent dynamics inside the Moscow Patriarchate during the last two decades.