Ukraine

• Type: Muggle Country
• Location: Eastern Europe
• Notable Connections: Native habitat of the Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon
• Magical Significance: Known in the Wizarding World primarily as the country of origin for the largest known dragon breed.

Ukraine is a large country located in Eastern Europe, known in both the Muggle and Wizarding World. To wizards, its primary significance lies in its connection to powerful and dangerous Magical Creatures, most notably the Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon. According to Newt Scamander's famous textbook, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the Ukrainian Ironbelly is the largest breed of dragon in existence, capable of reaching a weight of six tonnes. It is described as being brawny and rotund, with metallic grey scales, deep red eyes, and long, vicious talons. Though slower in flight compared to other breeds like the Hungarian Horntail or Chinese Fireball, its immense strength makes it extremely dangerous, as it is capable of crushing dwellings it lands upon. The Ukrainian Ministry of Magic (or its equivalent governing body) presumably monitors the native Ironbelly population, which is a subject of intense interest for magizoologists worldwide.

Ukraine's most notable export, the Ukrainian Ironbelly, plays a direct role in two significant events during the Second Wizarding War. In 1994, Charlie Weasley and other dragon keepers brought several dragons to the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts for the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Ludo Bagman, a Ministry of Magic official, mentioned that one of the procured dragons was a Ukrainian Ironbelly, noting it was the biggest breed on record. Although this specific dragon was not ultimately chosen to face one of the champions, its fearsome reputation was established. In 1998, a much older Ukrainian Ironbelly served as a guard for the high-security vaults deep within Gringotts Wizarding Bank. This specific dragon was pale-scaled, partially blind, and heavily scarred from years of abuse and confinement. It had been conditioned by the Goblins to retreat from the sound of Clankers. During their raid on the Lestrange Vault to retrieve one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger used this conditioning to get past the beast. For their escape, they freed the dragon from its chains and climbed onto its back, flying it through the roof of the bank and out over Diagon Alley.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the escape from Gringotts on the back of the Ukrainian Ironbelly is a major cinematic sequence, visually establishing the immense scale and power of the creature. (film)
• The Ukrainian Ironbelly also appears as a species of dragon that can be encountered and rescued in the video game Hogwarts Legacy. (video game)
• On the Pottermore website, J.K. Rowling wrote about a Russian wizarding school named Koldovstoretz. While its exact location is not specified beyond Russia, it is plausible that it would accept students from neighbouring countries such as Ukraine, though this is not explicitly confirmed. (Pottermore)