A Russian fighter jet crashed this week during a landing on a carrier. The reports say it was due to some technical difficulties. The pilot bailed out and landed safely in the Mediterranean sea and was later recovered by the Russian navy. The pilot has been medically clear and is ready to get back to the sky to continue his mission.
Russian media outlets have made it quite clear that the Admiral Kuznetsov is headed south to take part in the war in Syria.
As the writer Taylor Marvin has pointed out, the Admiral Kuznetsov was not designed for strike missions, like U.S. carriers—it was designed to be part of the Soviet “bastion” strategy and help protect areas of the ocean close to Soviet shores from Western incursion, particularly by anti-submarine warfare assets. Admiral Kuznetsov does not have catapults to launch aircraft, so the aircraft that take off to bomb targets in Syria can carry fewer and smaller weapons.
https://news.usni.org/2016/10/26/analysis-russias-carrier-deployment-syria-propaganda-not-practical
The Russian forces have been bombing rebel sites in Syria. In the picture above there’s an ambulance destroyed by the bombings. The Syrian government allied with Russia to destroy rebels that opposed Al-Assad government. The Russian military is also bombing the terrorist organization known as ISIS. At the end of the day we don’t know if the Syrian rebels are the same as ISIS. Russia on the other hand is treating the Syrian rebels as if they are part of ISIS.
Vladimir Putin has sent a small fleet to Syria to assist their fighters in the bombing of rebels against the Syrian government. The movement of the Russian warships to Syria could also give Russia a chance to test the Cold War era aircraft carrier to make sure it’s working properly, and will also give Western powers the opportunity to examine it at close range. The Russian fleet also includes a nuclear-powered battle cruiser, Pyotr Velikiy, and two Udaloy Class Destroyers. The Admiral Kuznetsov itself is capable of carrying 50 warplanes.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/14/middleeast/russian-fighter-jet-crashes/?iid=ob_lockedrail_bottomlist