List of Famous people born in Nalchik, Russia

Viktor Ivanovich Belenko is an American aerospace engineer and former Soviet pilot who defected to the West while flying his MiG-25 jet fighter and landed in Hakodate, Japan. George H. W. Bush, the Director of Central Intelligence at the time, called the opportunity to examine the plane up close an "intelligence bonanza" for the West. Belenko later became a U.S. aerospace engineer.

Andrei Zintchenko is a Russian former professional road bicycle racer active between the years 1994 and 2006. In his career, he won four stages in the Vuelta a España.

Khasanbi Eduardovich Bidzhiyev is a Russian professional football coach and a former player.

Yuri Khatuevich Temirkanov is a Russian conductor of Circassian (Kabardian) origin.