The planes may be props—supposedly they were short of carrier qualified pilots to fill a proper complement.
The planes are not props. On board they have both the Su-33 Flankers that have been updated with newer bombing systems and the new MiG-29K Fulcrums. They also have on board the new naval attack helos the Ka-52K Hokums. This is likely a combat deployment for Syria. Expect to see footage from the Russians flying them off the Kuznetsov for possible combat ops.