Operation 0185

Operation 0185 was a long-running, extremely important, and wide-ranging Songhua espionage operation against Kaxakh, with its main aim being to obtain critical industrial and military technologies. This particularly included the Kaxakh tank, missile, aircraft, submarine, and nuclear programs, as well as the manufacturing sector at large. It was conducted by the Sensitive Affairs Bureau beginning sometime in the late 1930s and eventually foiled by the Kaxakh military. The program was revealed in the 1990s due to a series of complex events involving the 6-6 Crisis some years before, the 1989 Tianjing International Exhibition, and political turmoil in Kaxakh, and contributed to the downfall of the Communist Party there. The Songhua government's Socialist faction was essentially used as a front, and the Kaxakh government convinced to turn over vast amounts of sensitive technical data supposedly to the Socialists to help them gain some sort of upper hand against other factions in the government. In fact, the entire operation was being coordinated by the Sensitive Affairs Bureau and the central government, and the MSJ also seriously penetrated Kaxakh intelligence services and government agencies to both cover up their theft and steal additional information.

6-6 Crisis Decompartmentalization

During the 6-6 Crisis, the Sensitive Affairs Bureau was thrown into chaos like many government agencies. Many of its files were compromised, lost, or destroyed when rebel forces stormed Tianjing, and a number of agents defected, disappeared, or were killed or captured on missions abroad during the crisis either due to these compromises or other reasons. It is believed that eventually some of the files lost during the 6-6 Crisis would be obtained by the NKVD via the GRU-SVR, offering at least a partial picture of the devastating operation's wide range and deep penetration.

1989 Investigation

Elements of the GRU-SVR became suspicious in the late '70s and early '80s, particularly regarding tank and truck designs. However, the chaos of the 6-6 Crisis delayed any possibility of investigation until 1989, when a perfect opportunity presented itself in the form of the 1989 Tianjing International Exhibition. Kaxakh GRU-SVR agents were sent to Songguo to investigate and confirmed that Songhua intelligence had stolen significant amounts of technical data regarding tank design, construction, and operation.

However, the full scope of the operation, such as its penetration of the Kaxakh missile, submarine, and nuclear programs and Kaxakh intelligence services, would not become clear until much later. The Kaxakh investigation also failed to turn up any names or positions of Songhua operatives and assets in Kaxakh.

1995 Leaks

The 1995 leaks about Operation 0185 and Kaxakh investigations into the theft led directly to the December Crisis in Kaxakh. It is unclear exactly how, but sometime before the Crisis, the Revolutionary Council had obtained at least a partial picture of the MSJ's activities. When this fell into the wrong hands, the scandal eventually destroyed the Communist Party.

Following the December Crisis, few officials either in Songguo or Kaxakh have been willing to discuss Operation 0185. The 1995 leaks were incomplete in terms of their description of the operation, leaving holes in the timeline and vagaries surrounding how or if certain information was stolen or not, and if so by whom.

Portrayal in popular culture

A number of spy books and films have been made about real or fictional incidents that occurred during Operation 0185, as part of the genre of Phoney War spy-themed stories.