  The Russian 6-m telescope (BTA), once the largest telescope in the world and
now the largest optical telescope in Russia, has been successfully operating
for almost 45 years. In this paper we briefly overview the observing methods
the facility can currently provide, the ongoing projects on the development of
scientific equipment, the status of the telescope among the world's and Russian
astronomical communities, our ambitions to attract new users, and the prospects
the observatory wishes to realize in the near future.
