Imperial Brands will close its Yaroslavl cigarette factory in January, making 284 employees redundant, Reuters reported.

Imperial Tobacco Yaroslavl has been running at 40 per cent capacity, according to Reuters. The company reportedly cited higher excise duties and changes in regulations.
Yaroslavl is one of two Imperial factories in Russia and is situated in Central Russia about 250 km (155 miles) from Moscow. The factory has been part of Imperial Tobacco since 2008 and makes Classic KS for the Azerbaijani market, Imperial said on its website.