It is very common, on par with Telegram. Telegram is also banned as well, everyone is herded to "MAX" messenger, developed by VK ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_(app) )
Huh, the more you know. That's pretty interesting. I didnt know Telegram was banned nor the popularity of WhatsApp (and the new app) but I suppose it makes sense with the circumstances going on there. Appreciate it!
I believe it's quite popular, actually. Data gathered from a leak [1] shows that Russia had the 5th largest share of total WhatsApp users as of 2021.