Donskoy Tabak, the largest Russian-owned cigarette manufacturer is up for sale, reports Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

Donskoy Tabak, which is based in the south of the country, produced about 26 million cigarettes last year and has a share of about 4 per cent of sales in the domestic market.
The company has two local brands, Donskoy Tabak, and Nasha Marka, and produces the Richmond and Senator brands under licence. Donskoy Tabak bought local rival Nevo Tabak at the beginning of the year. 
Higher taxes and new law anti-smoking laws have put pressure on tobacco producers, making it difficult for smaller companies to survive, said RIA Novosti, while the Kommersant newspaper reports Imperial Tobacco is interested in buying Donskoy Tabak.
The sale of Donskoy Tabak would be the biggest deal in the Russian tobacco market since Balkanskaya Zvezda was bought by Spanish Altadis forUSD 200 million in 2004. (pi)