Sir Elton John has reportedly helped to ensure the safe passage of a boy he once attempted to adopt and his family from the conflict in Ukraine.

The rocker and his partner David Furnish came close to adopting little Lev Ageyev, now six, when he was a baby back in 2009, but local laws restricted the gay couple from making the dream a reality.

Elton never lost touch with Lev and his grandmother, Yulia, and now socialite Olena Franchuk, a friend of the British star, has told media outlets that Lev and his brother Artyom, seven, and their grandmother escaped the conflict in their homeland over the weekend (30-31Aug14) - and the Rocket Man singer was their saviour.

The singer’s representative has declined to comment on the story.