Yes, astroturfing is real - however, you do not know how prevalent it is, or which comments are it. You don't have access to the internal server logs that dang does. You don't know whether someone is astroturfing or just really invested in an ideology. And it's against the guidelines to point out.
> people have pointed put “russian bots” on HNany times without being flagged or deleted
Because dang didn't see those comments and they weren't flagged by other users. If you see what you think is astroturfing, or dishonest/manipulative/HN-guideline-breaking comments (like those above), downvote and flag it, and if you want to respond, don't accuse the user of astroturfing, but actually respond to their points. If the people on the other end are really FSB officers or whatever, you literally waste their time and money, and divert their resources from other things they could be doing (e.g. the war in Ukraine). Accusing someone of astroturfing isn't just against the guidelines, it's counterproductive!
> people have pointed put “russian bots” on HNany times without being flagged or deleted
Because dang didn't see those comments and they weren't flagged by other users. If you see what you think is astroturfing, or dishonest/manipulative/HN-guideline-breaking comments (like those above), downvote and flag it, and if you want to respond, don't accuse the user of astroturfing, but actually respond to their points. If the people on the other end are really FSB officers or whatever, you literally waste their time and money, and divert their resources from other things they could be doing (e.g. the war in Ukraine). Accusing someone of astroturfing isn't just against the guidelines, it's counterproductive!
Use that flag button!