Not sure where they're being deployed from.
I do remember back in the 1970s the they had a permanent presence moored at the "Cyprus Buoy" south of Larnaca that the aircraft going back from firing on the banner used to beat up. Supposedly it had enough armoured vehicles and marines to reach and evacuate the embassy in Nicosia in the event of any problems.
I would imagine the size of the Russian embassy in Damascus would need two ships worth to evacuate all the personnel, documents and equipment they couldn't destroy.
Torygraph:
Home»News»World News»Middle East»SyriaRussia 'sending warships to Syria'
Russia is preparing to send two amphibious assault ships to the Syrian port of Tartus according to the Interfax news agency.
The move is seen as an attempt to ensure the safety of Russian nationals stationed at the strategic naval base Moscow operates on Syria's Mediterranean coast.
An unidentified officer confirmed that "Two major amphibious ships – The Nikolai Filchenkov and The Tsezar Kunikov – are preparing to be dispatched to Tartus outside of their schedule."
It is believed the two ships will be carrying a large group of marines and could be used to evacuate Russian citizens and property. There has been no official confirmation of the report from the navy or the defence ministry.
The deployment of the two ships is a sure sign of the deterioration of the situation in Syria as the country descends into all-out civil war..............