Joining Kuznetsov are believed to be two 'Akula' class nuclear-powered attack submarines that are much feared by Western navies.  On the surface will be the powerful, missile-armed battle-cruiser, 'Peter the Great.' Unlike Western warships, which are essentially fragile tin cans packed with electronics, `Peter the Great' is armored and built to withstand punishment.

Other Russian missile frigates and supply ships are also off Syria.

Washington just hates it when the Russians dare do what the US has been doing since World War II: conduct gunboat diplomacy, however limited.

As a student of Russian naval affairs, I'm watching the current deployment of warships from the Red Banner Northern Fleet with much interest.  

Russia has wanted to be a major naval power since the days of Peter the Great in the early 1700's, but it has always faced the curse of Russian geography.  In spite of limited access to the world's seas, Russia is largely a landlocked nation spread over vast distances. Russia faces geographic barriers every way that it turns.