1995-1997: The future of the LOMO LC-A is negotiated in St Petersburg
For the time being, LOMO PLC delivered 1000 cameras each month to Austria. However, as the young Austrian business grew quickly and the Lomographers demanded for more cameras, the price per camera was suddenly raised by 50% in St Petersburg! This was due to the fact that the former Soviet Union split, energy prices rose and production as a whole significantly changed for Russian enterprises, which were now in the capitalist world.
In order to afford LOMO LC-A production alone, LOMO PLC had to raise the price. As the Lomographers simply couldn't pay the new price, tough negotiations followed and, finally, ground to a halt. Something needed to be done. And so the Lomographers organized a full delegation, made an appointment with the Austrian Consul in St Petersburg and finally sat in front of the Vice-Mayor of St Petersburg - a friendly person named Vladimir Putin. The future Russian premier, Putin, convinced the LOMO PLC officials to recalculate the production of the camera again and finally each party agreed that production of the LOMO LC-A should at all points be maintained.