VLADIVOSTOK - Heavy snowstorms fueled by a cyclone swept Tuesday across Russia's Far East, cutting off power, paralyzing traffic and forcing the deployment of troops to rescue drivers who got stuck in what meteorologists called a record-setting storm.

Three children sledding from the roof of a warehouse in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, on the Far Eastern Sakhalin Island, died after they were buried in snow, the Interfax news agency reported. Four people died of exposure overnight in Moscow, where temperatures plunged to -27 degrees Celsius (-16 F). In all, 297 people have frozen to death in the capital this cold season, according to city health authorities.

In the Pacific port of Vladivostok, the military sent out armored personnel carriers to help tow trolley buses, trucks and other vehicles stranded on slick roads. At least four people were injured in accidents caused by the snow and poor visibility, police said.

Power in the city and surrounding areas was cut off for hours Tuesday after snow stuck to power lines, causing them to snap in the strong winds.

Up to 40 centimeters (16 inches) fell in Vladivostok over the course of the day, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. In outlying villages, the snowfall was up to 50 centimeters (20 inches).

"It is a unique event, when in the space of 12 hours we have double the (monthly) average (of snow)," said Boris Kubai, head of the Primorye regional weather center. "It is the first such case in 50 years."

The blocked roads meant many had to walk to work Tuesday, and highways in the Vladivostok region were closed to passenger traffic. Bus companies also halted service for safety reasons. Passenger cars, many used imports from nearby Japan, spun their wheels in the snow and skidded.

Snow in the Caucasus Mountains has also clogged the Trans-Caucasian highway, which runs through southern Russia and into Georgia. The Georgian region of South Ossetia was entering its second week without electricity due to damage on power lines along the highway, the acting premier of North Ossetia, Kazbek Karginov, told ITAR-Tass.

In northwest Russia, four fishermen were rescued Tuesday after two days stranded on an ice floe in the Gulf of Finland, RTR television reported. Two Mi-8 helicopters and an icebreaker took part in the operation, struggling against icy winds and rough seas.