[1] It occurs in the southeastern coastal area of the Black Sea from northeastern Turkey to Georgia.

However, genetic analysis found major differences, and in 2018 Ognev's mole was recognized as an independent species.

With the specific epithet, Stroganow honored the Soviet zoologist Sergey Ivanovich Ognev.

This is a striking difference from the europaeoidal structure (the opening of the foramen on the fourth sacral vertebra is covered by a bone bridge) of the pelvic area in numerous Central and Western European moles.

The separation of this group dates back to the transition from the Miocene to the Pliocene more than 5 million years ago.

[7][4][2] In 2015, genetic analyses showed a clear separation between the moles of the northern and southern Caucasus region.

This was supported by the deep divergence between the two lines, which, according to the results, had been distinct since the end of the Pliocene around 3 to 2.5 million years ago.

[4] Three years later, in the eighth volume of the standard work Handbook of the Mammals of the World, Ognev's mole was granted species status.

[5] The distribution of Ognev's mole includes the southeastern coastal areas of the Black Sea.

It occurs from the Artvin province in northeastern Turkey to the neighboring areas of Georgia to the north, where the habitat extends inland to the upper reaches of the Kura River.

Ognev's mole can be found in gardens, fields, and wooded landscapes with moist soils.

Like all moles, they are characterized by a cylindrical and robust body, a short neck and shovel-like front feet.