IShowSpeed's team denies intention to visit Russia, as confirmed to Baltic representatives
In July 2025, American YouTube sensation IShowSpeed, also known as Speed, embarked on a European tour that took him through several countries, including those around the Baltics, Balkans, Turkey, Poland, France, and Spain. However, Russia was not part of this tour [1].
Fast forward to August 28, 2025, and Speed's next confirmed tour is a 35-day livestreamed tour across 25 U.S. states, with no mention of a return to Europe or a visit to Russia [2][3].
At present, there is no confirmed European tour that includes Russia in Speed's plans. The tour itinerary for his European visit included Eastern and Western European countries, but Russia was conspicuously absent [1]. A TikTok post suggesting Russia as part of Speed's Europe tour dates does not provide any concrete evidence to the contrary [4].
Speed, a popular internet celebrity with an audience of over 40 million on YouTube and 37 million on Instagram, is not planning a visit to Russia. The Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) has made it clear that not every statement made during a live broadcast can be considered a real plan [5]. Speed's management has also confirmed that a visit to Russia is not on the agenda [6].
The LIAA does not influence or coordinate Speed's future activities or content. The collaboration between the LIAA and Speed was a one-off, with clearly defined technical parameters, timeline, and budget [7]. During his visit to Riga, Speed broadcast a two-hour live webcast, attracting over 120,000 viewers at the same time and accumulating 7.2 million views on YouTube [8].
The Baltic countries, including Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, had agreed to partially cover the technical costs of Speed's European tour [9]. The tour itinerary included countries such as Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Greece, Turkey, Spain, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and France, but did not include Russia [10].
Economy Minister Viktors Valainis stated that if Speed were to go to Russia, the Latvian side would not pay him the EUR 30,000 technical costs for his visit to Latvia [11]. The visits of streamers like Speed should be seen as an opportunity to reach a wide audience quickly through digital channels and spontaneous engagement, according to the LIAA [12].
In the past, Speed claimed he was planning to stream from space during one of his live broadcasts [13]. Speed's content often revolves around travel experiences, which he captures live and interacts with millions of viewers in real time [14]. However, Speed is known for making exaggerated and provocative statements in his live broadcasts [15]. The LIAA does not consider Speed a partner, and there is no long-term agreement regarding the image of Latvia [16].
- despite the interest generated by a TikTok post, Speed's European tour itinerary does not include a visit to Russia, as confirmed by his management.
- Speed's upcoming livestreamed tour across the United States suggests a focus on domestic entertainment, refraining from incorporating social-media-driven speculations about a possible visit to Russia.
