The Baikal neutrino experiment: Status, selected physics results, and perspectives

We review the status of the Baikal neutrino telescope, which is operating in Lake Baikal since 1998 and has been upgraded to the 10 Mton detector NT200+NT200+ in 2005. We present selected physics results on searches for upward going neutrinos, relativistic magnetic monopoles and for very high-energy neutrinos. We describe the strategy of creating a detector on the Gigaton (km3)(km3) scale at Lake Baikal. First steps of activities towards a km3km3 Baikal neutrino telescope are discussed.