A Tu Quoque fallacy, or as you put it, "pointing out hypocrisy", is a fallacy. Some people do not like logical discussions, so they use that fallacy anyways. That is totally ok, I'm not the boss of them.

But, it will likely be pointed out that their fallacious arguments are fallacious, and at that point, they can choose to make valid arguments, or to continue their string of failures by unconvincingly making more fallacious ones.

> The introduction of whataboutism into the lexicon was to counter Russian appeals to hypocrisy

Cool! "Appeal to hypocrisy", or Tu Quoque, is a fallacy and any arguments invoking it are accordingly fallacious. Coining another synonym ("whataboutism") doesn't change things. Those making fallacious arguments can try to make valid arguments (if there are any) for their case next time.

> Those of us who have long memories do remember a time when pointing out the hypocrisy of the West was considered a valid thing to do

I've got a long memory, too, and the Tu Quoque fallacy was never a valid defense, no matter what you called it. That's what makes it a fallacy.