On the cover, Stalin leans over a map of the Soviet Union in a propaganda poster with the slogan "Victory Over Drought!"
The project "was thoughtlessly closed at the beginning of Gorbachev's perestroika," a news release from the mayor's office reads. It calls the scheme a "unique megaproject of the state and business."
Luzhkov presented the 170-page book at the Mayor's Office on Thursday. Journalists weren't allowed to ask questions, Kommersant wrote.
The project "will give us the possibility to sell water in the republics of Central Asia," Luzhkov said, Kommersant reported.
The idea to divert water from Siberian rivers came under serious consideration after World War II, and Brezhnev poured funds into research in the 1970s.
Facing serious opposition from experts and campaigners, the Central Committee wound up the scheme in 1986.
The mayor is a long-term advocate of the idea. In 2002, he sent a letter to then-President Vladimir Putin calling for the construction of a 2,550-kilometer canal from Khanty-Mansiisk to Central Asia via Kazakhstan.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Uzbek President Islam Karimov have voiced support for the plan.
On Friday, Greenpeace expert Mikhail Kreindlin called the plan "absolute madness, even a criminal project."
Soviet irrigation projects in Central Asia created "absolutely dead territories," he said on Friday. "We are making the same mistake. The water would sink into the sand."
The Federal Water Resources Agency and prominent academics have spoken out against the plan, Kreindlin said. "I don't believe our authorities would go so far as to support such a project."
A spokeswoman for the Natural Resources Ministry said she couldn't comment on the project.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.