Volker Bouffier (CDU) described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal in the Wiesbaden state parliament on Tuesday.

Putin belongs before the International Criminal Court to answer for himself there, said the Hessian Prime Minister.

In his government statement entitled "Back to peace, freedom and democracy - solidarity with Ukraine", Bouffier called for the end of the war and the withdrawal of all Russian troops.

He promised help to the Ukrainian refugees and announced that sick children and war invalids from Ukraine would be treated in Hessian hospitals at the request of Poland.

It must be an obligation to help the people from Ukraine.

Bouffier spoke of the "admirable attitude" of the Ukrainians, which he met with "the utmost respect".

In the meantime, more than 300,000 refugees from the Ukraine have come to Germany, most of them women and children.

"Taking these people in here and providing them with comprehensive and rapid assistance is our joint task," said the Prime Minister.

The state government can draw on the experience of the refugee crisis in 2015.

Nevertheless, it is a daunting task, sometimes taking in between 500 and 1,000 refugees a day.

According to Bouffier, more than 8,000 people have arrived in Gießen for the first time.

He criticized the federal government's control of the flow of refugees: "Unfortunately, the new system has not worked so far, with the result that the refugees arrive in the states and municipalities in a very uncontrolled manner."

Bouffier made it clear that children and young people must be given special care.

The state government, together with the municipalities, ensured that the children could attend the local daycare centers.

Legal requirements, such as the maximum group size, should be dispensed with.

This also applies to the school classes in which Ukrainian students are accommodated.

As of March 1, more than 1,300 Ukrainian students have arrived in local schools, according to Bouffier, and the number is growing every day.

According to Bouffier, there are currently 1,000 free places in primary schools and around 1,700 in secondary schools, including vocational schools.

"We cannot leave people permanently in town houses, gymnasiums or temporary accommodation, they need decent living space," said the Prime Minister and announced that the state government would temporarily suspend building regulations for the use of existing buildings.

Nevertheless, a rapid program for construction assistance is necessary.

With an assumed number of one million refugees in Germany, according to the Königstein key, around 75,000 Ukrainians would come to Hesse.

The Ministry of Finance calculates that it will need between 400 and 700 million euros a year to look after the refugees.

Since it is a national task, Bouffier called for "massive and financial" help from the federal government.

But even without this support, Hesse would face significant costs.

In the subsequent debate, all factions represented in the state parliament condemned the Russian war of aggression.

The Ukrainian Consul General Vadim Kostiuk followed the debate from the visitors' gallery.

Mathias Wagner, leader of the Greens parliamentary group, called for an action plan in Ukraine to set up structures for taking in refugees.

René Rock, chairman of the FDP parliamentary group, called on the state government to review Fraport's involvement in Russia.

"Is it true that Fraport still has business ties with Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg?" Rock asked.

He also wanted to know whether the state of Hesse, as the majority owner of Fraport, could rule out that the war would be supported from this airport.