The Corsac Fox typically inhabits steppes, semi-deserts and deserts, avoiding mountains, forested areas and dense bush. In the western part of the range, they occur in low-grass steppe, avoiding dense and tall grass steppes. In the Caspian (Kaspyi) Sea region the steppes and tarragon-cereal semi-deserts are favoured. It also occurs in fixed-sand habitats (Nogaiskaya Steppe). In the Volgo-Ural watershed, the Corsac Fox inhabits most usual habitats, but prefers semi-deserts.

To the east of the Ural Mountains, out of the European region, the species inhabits steppes and in favourable years occurs even in forested steppes. In Kazakhstan typical habitats are low grass steppes and semi-deserts, often inhabiting low hills, but avoiding low mountains. In Middle Asia it inhabits semi-deserts and ephemeral deserts, avoiding drifting sands. One limiting factor is snow depth in winter, and this species avoids areas where the depth of snow exceeds 150 mm, preferring areas where the snow is either shallower or highly compressed.

Corsac Foxes appear to depend on the distribution of ground squirrels and marmots for food and shelter (the burrows being enlarged and used for refuge).

In Europe, this species' range is restricted to Southern European Russia, where it reaches the Samara Region and Tatarstan in the north and ranges south to the border with the Russian Northern Caucasus. Historical records show this species occasionally occurred into Ukraine as far west as the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, but the current population status at the westerly edge of the species range is uncertain.

The global range covers the Middle Asian republics of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, as well as steppe and forest-steppe areas of Russia, including the southern region of Western Siberia. And also, much smaller area lies in southern Transbaikalia representing the northern periphery of the Mongolian and Manchurian section of the species area. Outside Russia the species area includes the steppe part of north-eastern China, including Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, and the region between Argun and Big Khingan, the entire Mongolian republic except for its forested and mountain regions, Dzungaria, Kashgaria, Afghanistan (probably only northern) and north-eastern Iran. The southern limit of distribution is unknown, but possibly it reaches to the mountain ridges separating the Tibetan Highland from the north. Occasionally, the species is recorded from the Ukrainian steppe (as far as Pavlodar to the west), eastern Transcaucasia (Azerbaijan) and, probably, western Kyrgyzstan.

Corsac Foxes are protected in strict nature reserves (the highest protection status for the territory) in Russia.

The species is not listed on CITES Appendices. It is listed in some regional Red books in Russia.

No special conservation programmes have been carried out. Outside of protected areas, the Corsac has the status of game species.

Corsac Foxes breed well in captivity, and there are some 29 animals currently listed in ISIS. In Moscow Zoo during the 1960s, one pair of Corsac Foxes produced six litters during the time that they remained together.

There are several aspects of this species' biology that require investigation, including social organization and behaviour, population structure, current distribution and population status in different regions, current levels of trapping/hunting impact, and other threats to the species.