ROME (Reuters) - The Russian ambassador to Italy, Sergey Razov, said on Friday he was suing Italian newspaper La Stampa over an article that had raised the possibility of killing President Vladimir Putin.

       "Needless to say that this goes against the rules of journalism and morality," Razov told reporters in front of the prosecutor's office in Rome after he had deposited the suit.

       On March 22 La Stampa published an analysis headlined "If killing the tyrant is the only option". The piece said if all other options failed to halt the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the only solution would be for someone to kill the president.

       Speaking through a translator, Razov said his suit accused the newspaper of soliciting and condoning a crime.

       La Stampa did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

       Putin calls the invasion of Ukraine a "special military operation" to disarm Ukraine and protect it from "Nazis". The West calls that a false pretext for an unprovoked war of aggression.

       (Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Angus MacSwan)