[Former US official: Durov once had a good relationship with the French president, and the charges for his arrest were fabricated political events] Golden Finance reported that according to the Russian Satellite News Agency, former CIA analyst Larry Johnson said: "Telegram is one of the few channels that really allows information critical of Western policies to continue to spread. I think this is really the root of the problem." The analyst called the charges against Durov a "fabricated political case," suggesting that they were intended to intimidate the tech entrepreneur. "There was a time when he was thought to be friendly with [French President Emmanuel] Macron," Johnson added. "But that's obviously over, because this arrest would not have happened without Macron's knowledge and approval."