Natalia Kushnir  Natalia Grigoryevna Kushnir (; born May 6, 1954) is a former Soviet volleyball player and Olympic silver medalist. Kushnir, who is Jewish, was born in Moscow, Russia. She played volleyball for Lokomotiv Moskva, and for the Soviet Union. Kushnir and the Soviet Union team won the team gold medal in volleyball at the 1971 European Championships. She and the Soviet team won a silver medal at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, losing to Japan in the finals.