Is WhatsApp really that common in Russia? I would assume most people just use VK and Telegram.

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.

[1] https://arxiv.org/pdf/2511.20252