New York (AFP) – In an extraordinary last-minute move, Manhattan’s Carnegie Hall announced Thursday that acclaimed Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, a close supporter of Vladimir Putin, will no longer lead the Vienna Philharmonic in a concert series this weekend. The decision, which Carnegie and the philharmonic delivered in a joint statement, comes in the wake of Russian President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which has drawn international condemnation. Protesters were expected at the superstar maestro’s three highly anticipated appearances in New York to begin Friday. Gergiev has not yet sp…