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"Russian news service Interfax is citing military sources as saying Moscow is dispatching an anti-submarine ship and a cruiser to the Mediterranean. Interfax says the moves are being made due to the "well-known situation" there -- referring to the Syria crisis. But a Russian government news service, Rianovosti, says the reassignments are part of a planned rotation and aren't linked with the situation in Syria."

Which ships? If it is one of their rust buckets, they are not serious; if it is the Peter the Great, they are.

According to the Times of Israel there are 12 Russian ships around its naval base of Tartous (http://www.timesofisrael.com/russia-sends-at-least-12-warships-to-syria/).

These include an intelligence ship (CCB201), an anti-submarine cruiser, a destroyer, a frigate, amphibious warfare ships, a tanker, and some rescue tugs.

According to the AFP/Yahoo article, an anti-submarine ship and a rocket cruiser will be heading there soon. Not sure what the anti-sub ship is, but the rocket cruiser is the Slava class Moskva, which is a pretty capable surface combatant (for one thing Syria just 'received' 64 S-300 missiles, since that is the Moskva's main anti-air component). Another report states that the Varyag, another Slava class cruiser, is in the area or soon to be. That is another 64 S-300s.

Now, I do not expect anything to happen. Neither country really wants to engage each other. The only chance of problems is a mistake. Say the Moskva uses its tracking radar to keep tabs of inbound F/A-18s, and one of the F/A-18s believes it is under attack and launches a weapon at the Moskva. Or the inverse ...the Moskva sees F/A-18s and some idiot thinks they are attacking it and launches a missile at the Super Hornets. Don't think it can happen? Ask the crew of the USS Vicentes how Flight IR655 was shot down, or ask the Russians about KAL 007. Mistakes can happen.