An aquatic species, it is found in oxbow lakes (with an area of 0.3 ha or more), and less frequently in ponds and rivers with slow flow, where it lives in holes in the banks. It does not inhabit all water bodies within its range; it has relatively strict habitat requirements and prefers water bodies 2–6 m in depth with rich water-marsh vegetation, bushes and primary forests along the banks, and with high macroinvertebrate abundance (Rutovskaya et al. 2020). In favourable years it is able to reproduce in any period of the year, but usually has two reproduction peaks at the end of spring and autumn with a brood of 1–6 young (more often 3–4) (Mishta and Merzlikin 2009). It is omnivorous, recorded feeding on water invertebrates and plant species (Kryštufek and Motokawa 2018).

The Russian Desman (Desmana moschata) occurs in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan; previously, it was also present in Belarus, Lithuania (where it was introduced in the mid-1900s) (Balčiauskas 1996), and possibly the Republic of Moldova (see Genovesi et al. 2009), though its origins there are unclear. Its current range is very fragmented, and it has disappeared from many areas where it formerly occurred. At the beginning of the 20^th century, the Russian Desman was common in the Dniepr, Don, Volga and Ural River basins. In Ukraine, historically it occurred in the basins of the Dnieper and the Don Rivers (Dniprovska and Siversko-Donetska populations), but currently only sporadically occurs in the floodplain of the Seym River (Dnieper River basin) and its tributaries approximately 200 km west of the border with Russia (Mishta and Merzlikin 2009, Yemets et al. 2019). In Kazakhstan, it is thought to occur in Kostanay, the Ural River and the Kushum Channel, but recent data are lacking (Institute for Zoology and Gene Pool of Animals of National Academy of Scientists of Republic of Kazakhstan 1996).

The Russian Desman is listed on Appendix II of the Bern Convention and is included in the Red Data Book in Ukraine (declining), Russia (under category 1: population decreased to critical numbers) and Kazakhstan (category 2: vulnerable). In Russia, it is protected in the buffer zone of Okskiy, Khopersky, Prisursky, and Ugra National Parks and several small protected areas. This species has been the subject of multiple reintroduction attempts. For example, a reintroduction of 51 individuals was undertaken in 2001–2002 in a tributary of the Volga river basin, but in 2017 the population was estimated to consist of only 6–10 individuals (Bakka et al. 2018). In 2002–2003, it was also reintroduced to the Desna basin within Bryansky Les Reserve, Orlovskoe Polissya National Park, and Kerzhensky Reserve, but these reintroduced populations also remain small (Rutovskaya et al. 2017). Attempts to breed this species in captivity have been ongoing since the mid-20th century, but have failed (Rutovskaya et al. 2017).

Conservation measures recommended to stabilize and improve the condition of the Russian Desman throughout its range include: the establishment of breeding populations in captivity; termination of imports of netting materials into Russia; strengthening and expanding inspections of regionally protected areas; and identification of appropriate habitat management and restoration regimes (Zimenko and Rutovskaya 2022).