Soviet satellite state

Soviet satellite states were satellite states indirectly controlled by the Soviet Union. This meant that they were countries controlled by leaders who were really controlled by the Soviet Union. Soviet satellite states included the Warsaw Pact countries and Mongolia. The Soviet Union chose leaders in these countries who were loyal to the Soviet Union and would send in the military if the local people protested against the local government.
Examples were:
Most of these "Eastern Bloc" countries had compulsory military service for young men. They also had varying numbers of Soviet troops and KGB agents. All these countries had detailed control of information (censorship), and other aspects of the communist Soviet system. Many features of the Soviet information control were put into practice in distant countries, such as Cuba, which was allied to the Soviet Union, but was not its satellite state.
Other terms which may be used are: