Airport officials said the brief incident was an apparent attempt by a company called VIP Services, created by a former airport employee, to recover disputed property from the airport. It was not clear what property the group was attempting to reclaim. The businessmen reportedly were backed by a police unit and a court bailiff but were intercepted by airport security without incident. The airport and the company are said to be in negotiations over the dispute. Since the dismantling of the Soviet Union, ownership disputes are common in Russia, where a free market now prevails over former Soviet monopolies.
Businesses fiercely compete for territory.
Over the past several weeks, the prime minister has been besieged with a series of deadly infections. Papandreou nearly died Saturday when he suffered a secondary infection that would not respond to antibiotics. By Sunday, however, doctors had the infection under control. Doctors said that Papandreou was breathing without a respirator and underwent dialysis. He has survived thus far with the help of a respirator.