'Don't friend lor': What some Singaporeans really think about us deemed 'unfriendly' by Russia

On Monday (March 7), the Russian government announced that it had approved a list of countries taking "unfriendly actions" against the country due to severe economic sanctions over the Ukraine conflict. 

This simply means that all corporate deals with companies and individuals from these "unfriendly countries" will have to be approved by a government commission.

Apart from Singapore, other countries on this unfortunate list include United States, Britain, Japan and naturally, Ukraine.

So, how do Singaporeans really feel about the news? 

Many netizens, on forums like Reddit and Hardware Zone, seemed downright indifferent to Russia's stance.

One netizen remarked: "Don't friend don't friend lor", while another celebrated the fact that Russia even noticed this Little Red Dot. 

There were others who also uploaded reaction videos on TikTok, showing their disbelief. 

@dauntlus Si Liao #fyp #foryou #sgtiktok ♬ I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire - Ink Spots

 

Jokey remarks aside, there were those who were concerned about being listed as an "unfriendly" country, for a variety of reasons. 

What Singapore has done so far 

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24, Singapore has taken several steps to address the conflict, which include the following: 

Economic sanctions 

Last Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced that banks and other financial institutions in Singapore will be prohibited from entering into transactions or establishing business relationships with four Russian banks. 

Economic sanctions also include a ban on the export of certain goods to Russia that can be used as weapons to inflict harm on Ukrainians, or contribute to offensive cyber operations. 

Providing $2 million in humanitarian aid 

On Feb 25, the Singapore Red Cross launched a public fund-raising appeal to raise funds for communities affected by the conflict. 

This initiative raised over $2 million within a week, including a US$100,000 (S$136,000) contribution from the Singapore Government. 

The amount raised will be used to purchase relief supplies for affected communities. 

ALSO READ: Singapore trims Vladimir Putin's fallback options

claudiatan@asiaone.com