Russian Okean class Patrol Ship. This is the larger of the two Russian ships. “An HC-130J Super Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak observes two Russian Border Guard ships and two Chinese Coast Guard ships approximately 440 miles southwest of St. Lawrence Island Sept. 28, 2024. This marked the northernmost location where Chinese Coast Guard vessels have been observed by the U.S. Coast Guard. (U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo)”
Below is a CG news release, presumably from District 17 (Alaska).
An earlier post reported joint Russian/Chinese Coast Guard exercises and the formation of this four-ship combined task force.
They are in the Bering Sea. Will be interesting to see if they go up into the Arctic. It is a period of near minimal ice.
There is an interesting contrast between the two Russian ships and the two Chinese ships. In spite of the fact that this is happening in Russia’s back yard, the Chinese ships clearly outclass the Russian ships, being newer, larger, and faster.
China Coast Guard type 818 cutter like the two deployed with the Russian Coast Guard
Why four ships hanging together when the US Coast Guard does Alaska Patrols in the Bering with only one ship? The Chinese tend to operate in groups. We haven’t seen this with the Russian Coast Guard, but I really haven’t seen much from them anyway.
Could the Chinese be teaching the Russians how to do gray zone operations, or is it just that totalitarian regimes need someone to do the work and someone to watch them?
On the other hand, the China Coast Guard has lots of ships but relatively few aircraft, and they operate primarily in two heavily trafficked, contested areas, the South and East China Seas.
News Week also has a good report on this.
JUNEAU, Alaska – The U.S. Coast Guard located four vessels from the Russian Border Guard and Chinese Coast Guard conducting a joint patrol in the Bering Sea, Saturday.
While patrolling the maritime boundary between the United States and Russia on routine patrol in the Bering Sea, a HC-130J Super Hercules airplane crew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak observed two Russian Border Guard ships and two Chinese Coast Guard ships approximately 440 miles southwest of St. Lawrence Island.
The vessels were transiting in formation in a northeast direction, remaining approximately five miles inside the Russian Exclusive Economic Zone. This marked the northernmost location where Chinese Coast Guard vessels have been observed by the U.S. Coast Guard.
“This recent activity demonstrates the increased interest in the Arctic by our strategic competitors,” said Rear Adm. Megan Dean, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District. “The demand for Coast Guard services across the region continues to grow, requiring continuous investment in our capabilities to meet our strategic competitors’ presence and fulfill our statutory missions across an expanding operational area.”
The HC-130 aircrew operated under Operation Frontier Sentinel, an operation designed to meet presence with presence when strategic competitors operate in and around U.S. waters. The Coast Guard’s presence strengthens the international rules-based order and promotes the conduct of operations in a manner that follows international law and norms.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
Chinese and Russian Coast Guards conduct first-ever joint patrols in Arctic Ocean (armyrecognition.com)
The Chinese are claiming they went into the Arctic Ocean. Haven’t seen any Western confirmation of that.
In fact, the US considers the Bering Sea part of the Arctic though its Northern end at the Bering Strait is very close to the Arctic Circle, meaning little or none of the Bering Sea inside the Arctic Circle. China may be doing something similar.