> Why does i2p (per the article) expect state sponsored attacks every February?

Because The Invisible Internet Project (I2P) allows government dissidents to communicate without the government oversight. Censorship-resistant, peer-to-peer communication

> Where are those forming from, what does the regularity achieve?

At least PR China, Iran, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait. censor communication between dissidents.

> How come the operators of giant (I’m assuming illegal) botnets are available to voice their train of thought in discord?

How would you identify someone as 'operators of giant botnets' before they identified themselves as 'operators of giant botnets'?

please read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I2P

Many state bodies involved in adversarial action have dedicated budgets for offensive cyber-warfare, credential thefts, supply chain compromises and disinformation. If they haven't used all of their budget by the end of the budget period, they'll be allocated a smaller budget for the next budget period.