So is the bear poking around in Syria?
Pictures reportedly shot over Syria show at least four Russian aviation assets not previously seen in the conflict. If the pictures turn out to be real, it would suggest some sort of small scale Russian direct involvement (which they denying) or an arms transfer to Syria, which is kinda far-fetched. If a deal has been made between Syria and Russia, it would appear to involve modern jets such as Flankers, Fulcrums, and Fullbacks as well as the cute little Pchela-1T drones.
Then of course there is this video of Russian Naval Infantry in a training exercise at their Cold War-era naval base at Tartus, Syria that surfaced this week. They seem to be having fun.