City left standing after brigade’s evacuation (8)
I believe the answer is:
belgrade
'city' is the definition.
(capital of Serbia)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for belgrade that I've seen before include "Capital of former Yugoslavia" , "In foreign city" , "Serbian capital" , "Serbian city" , "Capital city on the Danube" .)