Although disputes prior to the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election were present including the speculations regarding accidental shooting down of a Russian airliner by the Ukrainian military and the controversy with the Tuzla Island, relations with Russia under the latter years of Leonid Kuchma improved. In 2002, the Russian Government participated in financing the construction of the Khmelnytskyi and the Rivne Nuclear Power Plants. However, after the Orange Revolution several problems resurfaced including the Russia–Ukraine gas disputes, and Ukraine's bid to join NATO.