11.   Russian troops have been locked in a bloody stalemate with the rebels for more than a year.

12.   The talks come more than a year after the fighting declined into a bloody stalemate.

13.   The war has been locked in a bloody stalemate for more than a year.

14.   The war in Chechnya has been locked in a bloody stalemate for more than a year.

15.   The two sides have been locked in a bloody stalemate for more than a year.