PUTIN V SHAUN: WAR OF WORDS

Rvder assassination fears over Vlad lyrics

- ANDREW JAMESON

SHAUN Ryder is paranoid about being poisoned by Vladimir Putin.

The Happy Mondays frontman wrote lyrics mocking the Russian President in tunes for his new group, Mantra Of The Cosmos.

But Shaun, 60, admitted even though he started off wanting to "put the boot into Putin" with his new releases, he toned down the words after he started to get scared they could make him a target for assassination.