Sir Elton John kisses little Lev in 2009
Sir Elton John is believed to have helped rescue a boy whose city in Ukraine faces being overrun by Russian tanks.
The singer met Lev Ageyeva, six, in 2009 at an orphanage and declared at the time: "I would love to adopt him... he has stolen my heart."
He could not become his parent due to his age - he is 67 - and because gay couples were banned from adopting in Ukraine.
But Sir Elton, who has two sons, said: "I won't give up on him, ever."
At the weekend, Ukrainian socialite Olena Franchuk, a close friend of the star, organised a 460-mile bus dash to get Lev out of Mariupol .
It is thought Sir Elton and partner David Furnish, 51, were involved in the operation to bring Lev, brother Artyom, seven, and grandmother Yulia Ageyeva, 61, to Kiev.
Yulia said: "People say Russian tanks will attack soon. I thank God for whoever helped us. We've been told we will be moved to a flat and there's a school not far away."
The singer's spokesman declined to comment.
However, Sir Elton John visited Ukraine with his AIDS charity foundation in 2009 and two years previous the singer gave a free concert on the main square in Kiev to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS .
His AIDS Foundation collaborates with the Ukrainian Anti-AIDS Foundation set up by Franchuk, daughter of former President Leonid Kuchma.
As anyone who follows my posts knows, I'm in love with this man. He has created amazing music, helped others with drug addiction, fought against the plague of AIDS and is now reported to have had a critical role in saving this beautiful boy from Russian tanks. We also know he has a deep love for children and neturing them, as seen in his song Blessed
So he gets points for this in my eyes.
What does NSG think?(DO NOT turn this into a political thread.)