UPDATE 3 - Air raid sirens wail again in Ukrainian capital on day 2 of Russian attacks

UPDATES WITH MORE SIRENS HEARD; STATEMENT BY MAYOR OF KYIV; CHANGES HEAD, LEDE

By Talha Yavuz
KYIV, Ukraine (AA) - Air raid sirens in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv blared once again on Friday on the second day of Russian attacks.

The sirens went off for a few minutes at 02.33 p.m. local time (1233GMT) in Kyiv, with Mayor Vitali Klitschko saying explosions and gunfire were heard in parts of the city.

Klitschko said Russian sabotage groups had entered the capital despite the efforts of the Ukrainian army to eliminate them.

Making a public call for help in the defense of Kyiv, Klitschko urged residents to stay near their houses or shelters and advised them to store water and food.

Ukraine's capital Kyiv was rocked by several explosions early on Friday, the second day of Russia's military intervention in the country.

A series of blasts were heard at 4.20 a.m. local time, followed later by more explosions.

Sirens wailed throughout, warning people to seek shelter. While some civilians tried to leave the city, others took shelter in subway stations and basements.

The sirens went off again at 7.05 a.m. for two minutes.

Similar explosions were reported in the capital on Thursday, and in cities including Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Mariupol, Mykolaiv, and Odesa -- all under attack by Russian forces.

Russia's long-feared military intervention in Ukraine was announced early on Thursday by President Vladimir Putin, who said the operation aims to protect people "subjected to genocide" by Kyiv and to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine. He called on the Ukrainian army to lay down its arms.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, more than 130 people including civilians were killed on the first day of the military intervention.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara