#NoRussiaNoGames: Twitter 'bots' boost Russian backlash against Olympic ban

Russians protest against Olympic team ban; support of millions of Russians, says state media, but automated Twitter accounts amplifying reach; some supporters linked to previous pro-Kremlin campaigns

What began as a grassroots online campaign featuring a schoolboy has grown into a mass hashtag protest against Russia's exclusion from the Winter Olympics - backed by what appear to be fake Twitter accounts and users connected to past pro-Kremlin causes.

Many ordinary Russians are undoubtedly upset about an International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to ban Russia's team from the Pyeongchang games in South Korea early next year due to "unprecedented" doping violations.

However, this public sentiment has been amplified by apparently automated or semi-automated Twitter accounts known as "bots" and "trolls", according to analysis of social media traffic by