Elton John hits back at distributor for censoring Rocketman in Russia due to the country's anti-gay laws

Elton John has publicly hit out following his biopic Rocketman being heavily edited in Russia to remove any scenes of kissing and sex between men in the film.

Also cut out in the edited version is a caption and photograph at the end referring to Elton living with his husband David Furnish and raising their two sons, Zachary and Elijah,.

The musical sensation, 72, released a statement following Russian film critic Anton Dolin sharing how the feature film had been altered in Russia - after he attended a preview, the Daily Mail reports.

A joint statement from Elton and the filmmakers read: 'We reject in the strongest possible terms the decision to pander to local laws and censor Rocketman for the Russian market, a move we were unaware of until today.

''Paramount Pictures have been brave and bold partners in allowing us to create a film which is a true representation of Elton’s extraordinary life, warts and all.

''That the local distributor has edited out certain scenes, denying the audience the opportunity to see the film as it was intended is a sad reflection of the divided world we still live in and how it can still be so cruelly unaccepting of the love between two people.

''We believe in building bridges and open dialogue, and will continue to push for the breaking down of barriers until all people are heard equally across the world. ''

Also proving his disappointment at the editing, Taron Egerton, who portrays Elton in the biopic, took to Instagram to air his opinion.