A B747-400 FLYING IN RUSSIAN AIRSPACE IS GIVEN COMMAND TO CLB TO A HIGHER ALT. WHEN THE ACR CLBS; AS IT APCHS THE CRUISE ALT; IT RECEIVES A TCASII RA AND DSNDS TO COMPLY. THE CONFLICTING TFC ALSO RECEIVES A TCASII RA AND CLBS. PLT RPTR FEELS CONFLICTING TFC IS A RESULT OF A CTLR ERROR.

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THIS RPT PERTAINS TO ACR FLT XX EBOUND ON B212 FROM PEK TO DFW ON JUL/BB/97. AT CC00Z AND ABOUT 50 MI W OF UHMM; NIKOLAEVSK CTL (134.6) ADVISED OUR FLT TO LEAVE 10100 METERS AND CLB TO 10600 METERS. THIS WAS A VERY CLR DIRECTIVE FROM A VERY UNDERSTANDABLE CTLR. WE HAD NOT REQUESTED AN ALT CHANGE AND THOUGHT THE CLB MUST BE FOR CONFLICTING TFC. TWICE WE VERIFIED; 'NIKOLAEVSK CTL; UNDERSTAND YOU WANT ACR X TO CLB TO AND MAINTAIN 10600 METERS.' TWICE HE REPLIED; 'YES; ACR X CLB TO AND MAINTAIN 10600 METERS.' THEN WE ADVISED 'NIKOLAEVSK CTL; ACR X LEAVING 10100 METERS FOR 10600 METERS.' FO WAS DOING THE COMS AND I (CAPT OF ACR X) WAS PF. AFTER INITIATING OUR CLB AND SOMEWHERE BEFORE REACHING FL340 WE GOT A TA. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE ACFT OFF AUTOPLT AND STOPPED OUR CLB. THEN TCASII ADVISED US TO DSND. I IMMEDIATELY INITIATED A DSCNT OF ABOUT 1500 FPM. AFTER DSNDING ABOUT 400-500 FT WE SAW ANOTHER ACFT APCHING US FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION ALMOST DIRECTLY ON OUR COURSE. IT WAS CLOUDY AND HAZY AND THE ACFT (ACR Y) WAS NOT VISIBLE UNTIL JUST A FEW SECONDS BEFORE THEY PASSED OVER US. WE WERE NOW AGAIN NEAR 10100 METER ALT. WE CALLED NIKOLAEVSK CTL AND ASKED ABOUT THE ACFT. THE CTLR NOW SEEMED CONFUSED AND AT FIRST WOULD NOT ANSWER US. HE FIRST TALKED TO ACR Y. WE ASKED IF WE SHOULD NOW MAINTAIN 10100 METERS AND HE REPLIED 'YES!' HE LATER HANDED US OFF TO MAGADAN CTL. WE CALLED ACR Y ON FREQ 128.95. THEY SAID THEY HAD GOTTEN A TCASII ALERT TO CLB AND HAD DONE SO. WE BOTH BRIEFLY ADDRESSED THE INCIDENT AND CORDIALLY ADVISED EACH OTHER WE WOULD FILE A RPT ABOUT THE SIT. TCASII ON BOTH ACFT VERY LIKELY PREVENTED AN UNFORTUNATE MISHAP OR AT LEAST A CLOSER NEAR MISS. THE RUSSIAN CTLR MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT WE WERE PAST EACH OTHER; AND THAT 10600 METERS WAS WHERE HE WANTED US TO BE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR SAW THE ONCOMING ACFT ONLY WHEN THE ACFT WAS PASSING DIRECTLY ABOVE HIS ACFT. EACH ACFT RECEIVED A TCASII ALERT AND TOOK ACTION AS COMMANDED BY THEIR RESPECTIVE TCASII RA. RPTR FEELS THE CTLR MADE A MISTAKE AS THE CTLR BECAME PERPLEXED IN WHAT TO SAY AFTER THE 2 ACFT PASSED ONE ANOTHER. BEFORE THAT TIME THE CTLR TALKED IN CLR UNDERSTANDABLE ENGLISH. AFTER THAT INCIDENT; ALL THE FOLLOWING CTLRS WERE VERY ATTENTIVE AND PATRONIZING AS THE ACR CONTINUED THROUGH THIS AIRSPACE. RPTR WAS NOT CERTAIN IF THEY WERE IN RADAR CONTACT OR NOT. POS RPTS WERE BEING GIVEN EVERY 10-15 MINS. RPTR CALLED THE PASSING ACR TO LEARN HOW MUCH CHANGE IN ALT THEY MADE AS A RESULT OF THEIR TCASII RA. TOTAL ALT DIFFERENCE WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 1000 FT.