Moscow, Jul 19 (IANS/RIA Novosti): Ukraine's arms exports in 2010 reached almost $1 billion with the bulk of weapons sold to African countries, a newspaper said.

"The portfolio of contracts signed by state-run arms exporter Ukrspetsexport increased in value from $799.5 in 2009 to $956.7 billion (in 2010)," the Kommersant-Ukraine newspaper reported citing data from the State Service for Export Control.

The leading buyers of Ukrainian weapons were Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ukraine sold a total of 250 T-55 and T-72 tanks to both countries.

Sudan also bought Grad multiple rocket launchers, 122-mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers, 152-mm 1S3 Akatsia self-propelled howitzers, D-30 howitzers, 82-mm mortars and a variety of small arms, including 10,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles.

Ukraine sold a T-80BV main battle tank - built in 1985 - to the US and 14 air-to-air missiles commonly used by Libyan MiG fighter jets to Italy.

Former Ukrspetsexport director Sergei Bondarchuk dismissed the figures as "unrealistic".

"I don't trust these figures. As far as I know, we only signed an option for a previous contract with Sudan last year and the rest are ongoing deliveries under contracts signed by the previous team," Bondarchuk told the paper.

There has been no comment from Ukrspetsexport so far.