The investigation into who is responsible for the downing of Malaysian Airways flight MH17 last July will continue well into next year, a spokesman for the Dutch public prosecution service has told the NRC.

The Dutch safety board OVV, which has been investigating the actual cause of the crash, is due to publish its report on Tuesday. That report will look at what caused the plane to crash, not at who is actually responsible, the NRC says.

Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was brought down by a rocket over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. Most were Dutch nationals.

The public prosecution department said earlier that the plane was most likely to have been brought down by a Russian Buk missile. Over 100 people have so far been questioned in that investigation.

Meanwhile, according to the Sunday Times, the safety board report on Tuesday is expected to confirm that a Buk missile brought down the plane.