Marbled Polecat is the only widespread Eurasian member of the subfamily Ictonychinae Pocock, 1921, whereas other species of this group have ranges confined to Africa (Ictonyx, Poecilogale, Poecilictis) or Central and South America (Galictis spp., Lyncodon). The genus Vormela Blasius, 1884 is monotypic. Five to six subspecies were recognised in previous reviews (Gorsuch and Lariviere 2005, Wozencraft 2005). A comprehensive analysis of the geographic variation across the species range of V. peregusna revealed only two distinct subspecies (Puzachenko et al. 2017): the nominotypical subspecies V. p. peregusna (Güldenstädt, 1770) (occurs in southern and eastern Europe, Asia Minor and the Caucasus, and the eastern subspecies V. p. koshewnikowi Satunin, 1910 known from south and east of the Middle East, Central Asia and eastward to China.

European regional assessment: Vulnerable (VU)
EU 27 regional assessment: Not Applicable (NA)

The Marbled Polecat is assessed as Vulnerable for the European region under criterion A2c. It seems reasonable to suspect at least a 30% reduction in the population in the last ten years due to the loss of steppe habitat. This reduction may continue into the future but it is difficult to say if it would be at the same rate. The assessment was not adjusted as there is unlikely to be any rescue effect and the European population is unlikely to be a sink.

In the EU 27, this species occurs in Greece (where there are few records), Bulgaria and, marginally, in eastern Romania, and is considered to be probably extinct in Hungary. The Marbled Polecat is considered Not Applicable for the EU27 Member States as, although there are no population size estimates across the range of the species, it is considered to be of marginal occurrence in the EU region (i.e., less than 1% of the global population), with a broad global range that extends to the Caucuses, Central Asia, and the Middle East.

In the European region, the Marbled Polecat is found in Serbia and Montenegro (Milenković et al. 2000), eastern North Macedonia (Krystufek and Petkovski 2003), northeastern Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria (Spassov et al. 2002, Spassov and Spiridonov 2011), Turkish Thrace (Kumerloeve 1967, Özkurt et al. 2000), southeastern regions of Ukraine (Sirenko et al. 2015), and South European Russia (Rozhnov 1999).

Nowadays the European population of the Marbled Polecat is represented by two isolated local subpopulations:
(1) The Balkan subpopulation occurs in Romanian Dobrudzha, Bulgaria, the European part of Türkiye, northern Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia, southern Dalmatia, Montenegro, and probably Albania;
(2) the northern Black Sea population covers the southeastern regions of Ukraine, and South European Russia.

It seems that the Marbled Polecat became extinct in Hungary (not mapped) and probably from Moldova (not mapped; Heptner et al. 1967, Ivanov and Spassov 2015).

Outside of Europe, it is widespread in the Middle East, having been recorded from Israel and Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, northern Iraq and northern Saudi Arabia (Harrison 1968, Nader 1991, Rifai et al. 1999). A few localities in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula constituted records from Egypt (Saleh and Basuony 1998, Sohail and Mohallal 2016). In Israel, its southern range limit is retreating northward (Dolev and Perevolotsky 2004). In the Caucasus region, it is found in the Russian Northern Caucuses (Rozhnov 1999), throughout Armenia (Khorozyan 2010) and southern Azerbaijan (Heptner et al. 1967); there are few records from southern Georgia (Bukhnikashvili and Kandaurov 2002). It is recorded in northern and eastern Iran (Karami et al. 2008). The Marbled Polecat is common in Middle Asia (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan), also found in Afghanistan and Pakistan (Heptner et al. 1967, Hassinger 1973). It occurs in the Tyva Republic, the southern part of Asian Russia neighbouring Mongolia (Ochirov et al. 1977, Rozhnov 1999). In Mongolia, it occurs in steppe and occasionally desert and semi-desert habitats in the Dzungarian Govi Desert, Great Lakes Depression, Valley of the Lakes, Trans Altai Govi Desert, Northern Govi, Eastern Govi and Alashan Govi Desert (Clark et al. 2006, Dulamtseren et al. 2009). In China, the species has been recorded from the provinces of Nei Mongol, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and Xinjiang (Wang 2003, Wozencraft 2008).

It occurs from sea level up to 3,000 m in the Tien Shan Mountains.

It is rare throughout much of its range, and the population density is low in most parts of the species range. It has declined substantially in Europe in line with the loss of steppe habitats, with at least a 30% population reduction suspected due to this habitat loss. The species has always been naturally rare in most areas.

The Marbled Polecat is well-adapted to arid and semi-arid open landscapes. The species prefers dry and open habitats in the steppe and (semi)desert zones. Occasionally it occurs in bushy thickets or forested river valleys running across the steppe zone. In the Mediterranean, it was found in garrigue and open Mediterranean woodlands (Dolev and Perevolotsky 2004).

The Marbled Polecat is a specialised predator, feeding mainly on desert and steppe rodents such as gerbils, jerboas, ground squirrels, mole-rats, hamsters and other small mammals. The diet also includes birds and their eggs, reptiles and insects.

The major threat to this species is the loss of natural steppe and desert habitats. Steppe habitats are declining in Europe as they are converted to cultivated farmland. Secondary poisoning by rodenticides may also be a threat, as are population declines in key prey species (a number of steppe rodent species are declining in Europe).

There is no use or trade of this species.

It is strictly protected under Appendix II of the Bern Convention and Annexes II and IV of the EU Habitats Directive. The species was assessed as Vulnerable in the Red Data Book of Bulgaria (Spassov and Spiridonov 2011).

Hunting for this species is prohibited in most countries across its range. It occurs in a number of protected areas across its range, but there is a need to increase the size of these. There is an urgent need to protect the remaining steppe habitat of this species. It is a flagship species for the steppe. A number of animals are in captivity, but a breeding programme is not necessary. Russia's Red List notes the species as Vulnerable.