What did Winston Churchill mean by the saying soviet sphere?

Winston Churchill's reference to the "Soviet sphere" pertains to the geopolitical influence and control exerted by the Soviet Union over Eastern Europe and other regions during the Cold War. In his famous "Iron Curtain" speech of 1946, he highlighted the division between Western democracies and Eastern communist nations, emphasizing the ideological and political barriers that had emerged. The term encapsulated the territories and countries that fell under Soviet dominance, signaling a significant shift in global power dynamics following World War II.