The study of natural killer (NK) cells in the context of infection caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is an important direction in modern immunology and medicine. This is due to the unique role of NK cells in the immune system and their ability to destroy virus-infected and tumor cells. The EBV is associated with a wide range of diseases, from asymptomatic to serious, including infectious mononucleosis, various types of lymphomas, nasopharyngeal cancer, and others. Therefore, uncovering the mechanisms through which the immune system, particularly NK cells, recognizes and responds to EBV, is of great significance in understanding the pathogenesis of EBV-associated diseases and the role of the immune response in them, as well as for developing new approaches to treatment and prevention of these diseases. The search for NK cells that selectively recognize EBV antigens represents a new and promising approach. Traditionally, it was believed that NK cells do not possess antigen specificity characteristic of T-lymphocytes. However, according to the results of recent studies, certain populations of NK cells can exhibit a specific response to some antigens, in particular, through receptors recognizing MHC-I molecules. Yet, the mechanisms of interaction between NK cells and the EBV virus, inducing the antiviral activity of these cells, are not fully understood, making this research area especially relevant. Studying the clonal diversity and specificity of NK cells may reveal new mechanisms of the immune response to EBV and thus provide valuable data for the scientific community.