British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace on Wednesday compared Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Army Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov to the famous comedian couple Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, known in Romania as Stan and Bran, Reuters reported.

Speaking to reporters at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Wallace drew a comparison between two comedians who were active in the 1920s and 1950s when he described Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of staff of Russia’s armed forces.

Wallace noted that the pair remained in charge of Russia’s war in Ukraine, while Sergei Surovikin, one of Russia’s most prominent generals, disappeared from public view after Wagner’s group of mercenaries revolted last month.

A deputy from the ruling party of Russia explains the absence of General Sergey Surovikin by the fact that he is “resting”.

“Has anyone seen Surovikin lately? One of their best generals so far is gone,” Wallace said. “And they left Laurel and Hardy running the campaign. You know, you have Gerasimov and Shoigu.”

Critics in the West and even inside Russia say the Russian invasion force in Ukraine was naïve, ill-equipped, slow to react and hampered by confusing command structures.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin left both Gerasimov and Shoigu in their positions.

“This is good news for Ukraine. This is exactly what you want from the leadership,” Wallace said.

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