While several nations have import prohibitions on goods that have originated from Russia, Singapore’s sanctions are limited to fundraising activities that benefit the Russian government and exports from the city-state that could directly contribute to the war effort. There isn’t any prohibition against selling Russian groceries on the island and globally there are no sanctions on Russian exports of food.
Based on the labels of the products purchased by Bloomberg News, most appear to have been shipped from China. China hasn’t imposed sanctions in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Representatives for Lazada and Shopee didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Globally, more than 1,000 multinational companies have publicly announced they’re voluntarily pulling away from Russia beyond the bare minimum legally required by international sanctions, according the Yale School of Management
See also: Economists slash Singapore GDP, CPI growth forecasts on tariffs
Singapore has strongly condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine and last year, then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine gravely violated the United Nations charter and international law. But as the war drags into its third year, any outpouring of anger may be ebbing.
“Singaporeans may be against the Russian invasion of Ukraine but they’re not against Russian goods,” Tommy Koh, ambassador-at-large at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said. “In Singapore, trade is our lifeblood. We trade with every country whether we like them or not.”
Sovan Patra, a senior lecturer at Singapore Management University’s School of Social Sciences, agreed that Singaporeans’ pragmatism is likely resulting in a distinction between a moral perspective on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the practical matter of purchasing Russian-origin goods.
Singaporeans aren’t “generally the kind of people who boycott,” he said.
