Ukraine war drives suicides in India’s diamond city

SURAT, India — Five months have passed since the death of his brother Shailesh, but 35-year-old Dhabi Bhavuben still can't believe he killed himself. Shailesh was a quiet man who spent long hours at a small diamond polishing bench in the western Indian city of Surat, where he worked hard to support his wife and two young children.

For decades, Surat's glittering diamond trade has been a steady source of income for the city's workers, who cut and polish about 80% of the world's diamonds. But everything changed when the war in Ukraine started in February 2022.