HN is definitely left-leaning as a whole, I think it's a programmer's thing in general. The more radical ones take advantage of that and engage in subversive actions. If you take the time to read the whole threads on politically charged topics, take notes of people, follow their links, you will arrive at some disturbing conclusions.
I have seen several websites often cited by a small group of people, which are very meticulously crafted in both the development and communication aspects. They provide excellent rhetoric on issues such as basic income, GMO, planet preserving initiatives and other such things of importance. Since the sites are not monetized at all, it greatly piqued my interest how such high level operations can exist and I ventured to follow the money. Now, such investigations are very difficult and time consuming to conduct and even then, very inconclusive, but you can imagine how surprised I was when two of the sites were sponsored primarily an NGO loosely connected with VTB Group. Do you know that bank, alphapapa?
I had not heard of VTB before, but I guess your point is that it's Russian. That's interesting. What do you think they're trying to do? Weaken competing economies by convincing them to artificially hamper themselves?
BTW, have you published your research anywhere? Like, even on some anonymous blog, or a comment on a relevant one? Sounds like something that should be spread around beyond this little HN thread.
VTB is KGB's bank. It's common knowledge in every post-soviet state. It is hard to speculate what their end-game might be. Anything from protecting Russia against foreign interests through offense, to world domination and everything in between. My guess would be in the "everything in between" realm. Former USSR borders are desirable to the Russian president, it seems. Adversaries, troubled by domestic problems are easier to fend off. I'm afraid, or I should rather say, happy that those endeavours are proving to be quite expensive and without much meaningful result on the horizon.
