Memories of the Soviet "Cyprus Buoy" Landing Ship back in the 70s. It supposedly had enough armour and troops to evacuate the USSR embassy in Nicosia if the Turks went for the rest of the island.
Russian Ships Heading To Mediterranean
Russia's Interfax news agency says four Russian ships are on their way to the eastern Mediterranean.
The report on September 6 said two large landing ships and a reconnaissance ship had passed through the Dardanelles Strait entering the eastern Mediterranean. It said a third landing ship has left the Black Sea port of Sevastopol and would sail toward the eastern Mediterranean after picking a "special cargo" in Novorossiysk.
Kremlin chief of staff Sergei Ivanov said on September 5 that Russia is boosting its naval presence in the Mediterranean, "primarily" to organize a possible evacuation of Russians from Syria. It is unclear how many ships Russia has there.
The United States already has a strong naval presence in the region ahead of possible U.S. military strikes in Syria following a suspected chemical-weapons attack.