The Medal "Veteran of Labour" was a civilian labour award of the Soviet Union established on January 18, 1974, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to honour workers for many years of hard work in the national economy, sciences, culture, education, healthcare, government agencies and public organizations. Although it only had a relatively short eighteen years of existence, it was awarded nearly forty million times. Its regulations were detailed and approved by decree number 5999-VIII of May 20, 1974. Its statute was amended by multiple successive decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, first on June 8, 1977, then on August 12, 1983 and lastly on December 28, 1987. The medal ceased to be awarded following the December 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Yevgeny Yakovlevich Vesnik was a Soviet and Russian actor. The son of Yakov Vesnik, the first director of the Kryvorizhstal plant, he fought the Germans in World War II. He worked at the Maly Theatre from 1963 and was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1989, three years before his retirement from the stage.